A Bit of Hope
by PixieGirl13
Summary: This is two years of Daxter's time in Haven City and searching for Jak.Daxter finds a girl who is half teen and half kid.He joins up with the girl and a group named Black Water to fight against the Baron and find his lost friend. DONE!
1. Default Chapter

A/N: I've been thinking so hard on this fic for a really long time. I have no idea if it is a good idea. I thought it was good and now I'm finally writing it. It will mainly be on Daxter, but I'll put some of Jak in it in later chapters. Here it goes and please give a review if you like or not. This is my first Jak2 fic! And I don't own anything but for a few characters in later chapters.

Chapter 1

Right before Daxter's eyes some guy with red armor knocked out his very best friend. The so many Crimson Guards dragged him off. Another guy, but without the whole armor, lead them with his hands behind his back and an evil smirk on his face. This guy was evil and Daxter knew it the minute he set eyes on him.

Daxter had second thoughts about following them, but this was Jak. Jak, the only real big friend he had for most of his life. Even when he changed into the fuzzy form he was in now Jak still stayed with him. Daxter had to follow.

The little animal quickly got to his two back feet and snuck behind a garbage can in the big city. So many people were here and Daxter had no idea where he and Jak landed after teleporting. Daxter always lived in the country.

The guards carrying Jak turned a corner and Daxter took off away from his cover to follow them. A lady stepped on his tail and he looked up while yelling, "Watch it, lady!"

"Lord, help us!" the lady screamed while running away like her life depended on it. Daxter just watched her take off with a puzzled expression on his otter-like face. What did he do?

Daxter turned around to get back to following Jak but was stopped by a leg in his way. His head hit the leg and he looked up while rubbing it. It was one of those Crimson Guards that had Jak. He looked down at Daxter and gave a chuckle through his mask so it sounded like it was coming out of a speaker.

"That woman screamed because of just some giant rat," he said while kicked Daxter to the side and just kept walking on.

"I'll show you how this 'giant rat' works," Daxter muttered while picking up the piece of metal from the rift gate thing. He had hung on so much it broke off when he and Jak landed here.

The little guy ran up behind the guard and jumped into the air. He slammed his little metal poll down onto the head of the Crimson Guard.

"That was for taking Jak away!" he yelled while landing onto the dirt ground. The guard spun around to see who had hit him, but Daxter already was hiding behind the garbage can again with a sly smile on his face.

"The nerve!" the guard said as he looked around in a huff. He was not all too happy to have a poll slammed down on his head. He rubbed his head in half confusion and half of because it still hurt from the blow. He then gripped his gun tighter and walked off to do whatever he was doing.

Daxter held onto the little poll of his for protection. It could come in handy some time. He then realized he had no idea where Jak was anymore. He flew down the streets in a hurry. He ran down almost every street in search of his friend.

Daxter stopped running to catch his breath. He could not find any clue to where Jak went. He thought about asking one of the town's people, but after seeing what that lady did he was not too sure on what to do.

"Get him!" someone yelled from far away. Daxter looked up with panic and was expecting to see another guard chasing after him. He was wrong, but the thing coming at him was just as deadly.

With a yell of shock Daxter ran. A hovercraft was speeding right towards him. Daxter fell to the ground as it flew over him at tremendous speed. Guards came running after it. What was one of those zoomers doing close to the ground? Daxter had only seen them way above or parked somewhere. Plus, that thing was going so fast he could have killed Daxter.

"Fire at him!" a guard yelled and around five other guards started to fire their guns at the zoomer that had just flown by. Daxter kept down to not get hit by the lasers coming from the guns. This was not his day at all.

With a giant boom the zoomer exploded next to Daxter. The driver fell on top of the animal while spilling all his stuff out of his backpack. The guy scrambled to his feet while shoving his stuff back into his pack. He also by mistake scooped Daxter in it too.

The guy took off down the street in a disparate attempt to get away from the guns and Crimson Guards on his tail. "Please and thank you," he said to a driver of a tiny blue and yellow zoomer. He shoved the guy off and pressed down on the gas with sweat flowing down his forehead.

Daxter was stuffed into this tiny backpack and tried to call out to get out, but his voice was muffled by all the stuff in the pack. Moving was not an option either. He was just thankful he could still breathe in the tiny packed place.

Daxter could still hear the Crimson Guards chasing the guy he was going to get stuck with. Finally, their voices faded away and all he could hear from the pack was the zoomer the guy was on. He heard a few frustrated grunts from the guy on the zoomer as he made some turns then finally he jumped off and Daxter fell to the bottom of the pack with a yell.

Everything went quiet then. Daxter tried to move again but was being thrown up and down by the long strides of the guy. The animal opened his mouth to shout something, but of course the guy's lunch or something got shoved into his mouth. He spit it out because it was a bit soggy.

Vox shifted his pack and thought it was a bit heaver than before, but did not dwell on it that much. He ran his fingers through his short black hair and looked behind him with worry in his hard brown eyes. This had been a tough day and he was just glad he had made it home alive and well.

With one last look behind him he opened up a door to a small building and came in. It was a warm little home. There was the kitchen with a tiny wooden table for eating. Two rooms for him and his wife and the other for his little 8-year-old daughter who he worried about every second of his day.

"I'm home," he breathed as he set his brown leather backpack on a counter in the kitchen. He was out of breath from running away from the Crimson Guards. "Food smells good," he said as he smiled to his wife who was at a fire with a pot.

"It is yakcow soup," his wife, Meg, said with a warm smile to her husband. She had her long brown hair put up in a messy ponytail and her big green eyes held worry in them. He came up and kissed her on the cheek. She then gasped and he looked around to see what she was so freaked out about.

His eyes rested on his backpack. It was moving slightly and something was in it. He tried to calm his wife down as he slowly crept up to his pack. He counted to three and threw the top off and a fuzzy head popped up with a sneeze. Vox and Meg screamed from surprise.

Vox threw the pack to the floor and was about to crush the animal with his foot. Before he got a chance the animal looked up and yelled, "Stop!" Vox lowered his foot and saw that the animal was no threat.

"Who are you?" he demanded to the fuzzy orange thing on his kitchen floor.

"I'll answer that when you explain why you shoved me into your pack!" Daxter barked madly. He was not in a happy mode because some evil guy captured his friend, an out of control zoomer almost killed him, and for the past hour he had been stuffed into backpack. Plus, he had no idea where he was.

Vox remembered when the stuff in his pack fell out. "I must have done it by mistake because I don't bring home annoying talking animals off these streets," he snapped back with a gruff voice. Meg just stared at Daxter stunned.

Daxter then looked behind Vox with a softer expression and the guy turned around to see his daughter there. She had short black hair like her father and big green eyes just like her mom. She was so small and with the cutest face ever.

She said nothing and just came up to Daxter. Her parents told her to stay away, but she just leaned down to Daxter's eye level that was not too far down for her. They all watched in silence as she smiled. She then petted him on the head with her tiny hand and Daxter just stood still.

"She smiled," Vox whispered to Meg. His wife just nodded with hope coming to her eyes. Daxter just kept quiet and tried to grasp what was going on. The little girl backed away and pointed to Daxter with a little index finger. Vox nodded slowly and the girl then walked silently to her room.

"Can you tell me what is going on here?" Daxter almost yelled.

Vox sighed and said, "She wants you to stay. It looked like you don't have a home so I said yes to her. Do you mind?"

Daxter was about to say that he did mind, but had second thoughts about it. He could have free food and a roof over his head. He had no idea where he was and if he walked out he would have to sleep in the streets that night. This could be a good deal.

"I'll take you up on that offer," Daxter said while holding out his hand to shake. "Just what do I have to do to get food in my stomach?"

Meg chuckled at the question while Vox answered it. "Just stay with my daughter at all times and make her happy."

"How hard can that be?" Daxter asked.

"Real hard," Vox said. "Two years ago she has not spoken a word or smiled. When she smiled at you that has been the first time in two whole long years. I think there is a hope that we could have our old daughter back if you stay."

Before Daxter could open his mouth Meg called, "Dinner is ready!"

A/N: I hope it was good. It gets better in later chapters. Daxter gets back in his character next chapter too. It might take time to get next chapter up, though. I'm still thinking of it. Hope you liked it and please give a review! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2 Fruit Fight

A/N: I'm changing the ending of this story so it will not be a tragedy. Anyways, more about the little girl will come in this chapter and others. On with the chapter! I don't own anything of Jak2! Naughty Dog does! So don't sue me! Please R&R.

Chapter 2

Daxter walked next to the little girl down the street of the city. He still could not figure out where he was. The girl would not talk to him and he had to follow her wherever because that was the only way to get food that day. He did not mind that much. Jak was mute for years and Daxter was pretty much his voice most of the time.

"You need to lighten up a bit," Daxter said. It was one of the first times talking to the little girl. He was determined to break the ice. "Go to the beach or something and get popular." He then went on about how her life should go. The girl just kept walking with a tiny smile on her face.

Daxter stole an elf fruit from a stand and opened his mouth to bight into it, but someone poked his shoulder. He looked over to see the little girl looking sternly at him. Daxter knew the glare in her eyes was disapproving. She did not like it that he stole from the stand.

Daxter was just about to be his annoying self and just eat the fruit, but then the little girl did the puppy-dog-pout. It killed him.

"Oh don't do that to me," he whined. He tried to look away, but she was just too cute. He gave a sigh and slowly nodded. "Okay, have it your way! Have money, kid?"

The look then said do-I-look-like-a-piggybank-to-you? She then rolled her eyes while shoving her hand into a pocket of her pants. She had on a deep red shirt and torn jean cargo pants. After fishing for a few seconds she pulled out some money.

"You're sweet, kid," Daxter said while tossing the money to the lady in the stand. The girl just kept walking. He had to run to catch up with her. She was just a little taller than he was, so she was faster a little.

"So what does your dad do for work?" Daxter asked while trying to get the girl to talk. He knew she could talk, she just did not want too. He looked over to her and she looked straight ahead.

"Okay, kid," Daxter said while looking for something else to ask. "Got any really good friends?"

The girl sniffed and looked over to him with her big green eyes. He saw her nod and he knew he was getting somewhere with the girl. She then played out how many she had with her fingers. She only held up one. His heart went out to the little cuteness next to him.

"One?" he asked while taking a bight from his fruit. "You'll get popular in a few years. Especially with that cute face you have now."

Before he could say anything else the girl grabbed him by the shoulder and put her hand on his forehead. Daxter had no idea what she was doing and tried to get away from the grip. There was a sharp pain and he winced, but when closing his eyes he saw a picture.

The picture was of a little kid like the girl. He had big blue eyes kind of like Jak's. Daxter noticed this right away and notice the kid looked similar to his friend too. Did this girl know about Jak?

The little girl pulled her hand away from his forehead and the picture vanished. Daxter opened his eyes and he looked stunned over to the little girl. She messed with her long elf ears and glanced up at Daxter.

"H...how did you do that?" he asked in disbelieve. "That kid looked just like Jak!"

A puzzled expression swept across the girl's face as she cocked her head to the side. He had to explain what he meant. "I have a friend here," he said. "Him and I landed here after teleporting. Those big guys in red carried him off. I searched for him, but before I could go very far your dad scoped me up in his pack by mistake."

The girl still looked confused, but still nodded like she knew everything what Daxter had said. She then motioned her hands that she wanted to show him some other vision and he let her put her hand back on his forehead. He closed his eyes and felt the shock of pain come for a few seconds.

vision

The little girl was walking down her hall of her school she used to go to. The little kid that looked like a mini Jak was beside her. They were both younger than what Daxter saw.

The only thing that was real different was that the little girl was talking calmly. The other little kid nodded and they both giggled over something. Daxter could not hear anything, but knew she was talking because he saw her mouth move.

Suddenly, the two cute little kids stiffened and looked ahead to where Daxter could not see. Then he saw gunshots from the direction they were looking to. Krimson Guards started coming out of nowhere trying to arrest the girl's friend. By mistake they fired at the girl's head and she slummed to the floor with blood coming out of her forehead.

The vision started to get fuzzy now. It was like the girl was having a real tough time getting it out. What Daxter could make out was that someone saved the friend, but the school got burnt down. The little girl's dad was there with the rescue party and saved his daughter.

end of vision

Daxter opened his eyes one more time. This was the most weirdest day in his whole life. Exept that day he fell into that pool of dark eco and came out with his fuzzy self. They started to walk again and it was silent for a few seconds. Daxter had to say something to cheer the poor girl up. Jak liked it when he would say something to break a silence.

"Never talked since?" Daxter asked the girl. She nodded and Daxter understood her. He was still baffled about the little kid looking like Jak. He threw the idea out of his head and kept walking while shoving mouthfuls of fruit into his tiny mouth. If he was not talking he was either eating or sleeping.

"So, kid," Daxter said with more cheerful voice. If you could say his annoying voice could be real cheerful. "Got a name?"

The girl put her fingers into a V shape and put it up to Daxter's forehead again. In his head he heard the name Roxie. This girl was strange or what? Maybe the shot in the head made her not talk but be able to give visions to people. One word came to Daxter's mind after thinking of this. Lucky. She was lucky to still be alive.

"I got to ask you, kid," Daxter said and pretended to not see the mean glare from the girl. She did not like him calling her kid. "Did you ever see your friend afterwards?" She shook her head no as they kept walking.

"Too bad," Daxter said. "You two would make a real cute couple. You were both so cute." He glanced over to her and she hid a smile behind her hand. Roxie liked the little fuzz-ball. He was funny and only stayed on one topic for two seconds.

* * *

"We got to find that kid!" Baron Praxis yelled to Erol with his stern voice echoing around the main chamber of the palace. "He got away from us last time in his school. The Underground will never roll him in another school now."

"That was two years ago, sir!" Erol said while standing just a few feet away from the Baron. He crossed his arms in front of him with his familiar snarl on his face. He was getting tiered of looking for the kid.

"I don't care!" the Baron shouted and saw that Erol was not happy with himself for talking back. "The kid had a friend in the school. Find her and capture her. Make her tell us where the Underground is and the kid. Her dad is working with the Underground, but he just barely got away from us yesterday."

"I'll find her, sir," Erol said with determination in his hard brown eyes. While walking out of the room he held a communicator to his mouth and barked out, "Get me five Krimson Guards right now! We are heading to the slums."

* * *

"Catch!" Daxter yelled to the Roxie while throwing a lemon-like fruit from a stand as if it was a ball. Roxie caught it with both of her hands and looked up at Daxter confused. "Just throw it back," he called to her. "It is a game."

Roxie did a one-shoulder shrug and threw it back to her new fuzzy friend. It did not go very far in the air and Daxter had to come closer to catch it. "You throw like a girl!" he yelled to her. Her glare said to him maybe-it-is-because-I-am-a-girl.

He threw the fruit back to her and she caught it this time with one hand. She then aimed her fruit to Daxter and threw it as hard as she could. It was a perfect throw but it never made it into Daxter's hands. The thing exploded in his face and the juice from it landed on all over him.

Daxter spit the juice out of his mouth and glared around to see what happened while yelling out to whomever, "I paid for the fruit!"

Roxie ran up to Daxter and hid behind him while pointing ahead. He looked ahead and saw five Krimson Guards heading their way with that same evil guy who took away Jak leading them. He was the one who had shot his gun at the fruit to blow it up.

"What do they want?" Daxter asked Roxie and hoped she would answer him. She just sighed while rolling her eyes. She then quickly pressed the two fingers in a V onto his forehead.

"Who cares!" the voice said in Daxter's head. "That Erol guy is crazy and I don't want to stick around to see what he wants with us. Let's get out of here!"

"You go ahead," Daxter said while picking up an elf-fruit from one of the stands. "I'm giving the evil dude a piece of my mind."

Roxie rolled her eyes and Daxter knew it meant whatever. After being with Jak for a long time he could tell by rolling of eyes what he meant. She then took off down the street while winking to him. She was getting stranger every second Daxter was around her.

"There she is!" one of the Krimson Guards yelled and pointed to Roxie running down the street. It was not that crowded because it was around noon or so. Daxter hid behind a fruit stand and grabbed another fruit to arm himself with something.

Erol came by and Daxter jumped up while throwing his fruit at him. It was perfect aim and smashed onto the side of his face. The juice covered his face and it made Daxter laugh. "Eat fruit, freak!" Daxter yelled while still throwing fruit at Erol.

The guy got smart and started to shoot at the stand. Daxter shielded himself with his arms as fruit flew all over the street of the slums. "Die, you giant rat!" Erol yelled while firing again at Daxter with hatred in his eyes.

The animal dodged the shoot and stuck out his tongue at Erol and made a funny face to him while saying, "You missed me!"

"Go get the girl!" Erol yelled to his Krimson Guards. They ran off while Erol started to shoot wildly at the animal on the ground. "Stay still!" he shouted in frustration.

Daxter quickly dodged another shoot while saying, "What's the matter? Can't shoot a moving target?" The little fuzz-ball was having fun. He jumped around Erol like some acrobat and ran across his foot once. Erol was stupid and frustrated enough to shoot down.

Erol shot his foot by mistake and yelled in pain and hatred for the small talking animal running around. "I swear I'll kill you for that!" he said to Daxter while aiming at him again.

Daxter would have dodged easily, but another Krimson Guard fired at him too. Daxter dodged this one and had no time to get out of the way of Erol's gun. The guy aimed smartly and pulled the trigger. Only by God there was a clicking sound and no laser.

"You do not want to tick me off!" a girl's voice yelled loudly as Daxter heard some bones being crushed from around the corner. Erol came at Daxter and was planning on killing him whatever way possible.

"Mess with him and you're dead!" a girl said coldly while coming from behind the corner and punching Erol in the chin perfectly. The girl had long black hair and burning green eyes that glowed in the light of the battle. She was around 15 and wore a tight red shirt and torn jeans. She had on a seat of gloves. One was long and came up to her elbow and the other was fingerless. (a/n: when I say how old they are it means how they look for human years. I'm just saying that the elves live longer than humans and always look younger. So she could be really around 18 or so in elf years.)

"You've messed with the wrong person, babe," Erol spat out while whipping some blood away from his lip and getting up from the ground because of the blow. He jammed some more ammo in his pistol and fired at her. She quickly dodged the lasers in swift movements.

"Yeah," she said while knocking the pistol out of Erol's hands. "Like that is ever going to help you." She then jumped into the air and swung her leg around in a roundhouse kick. It was perfectly executed and her foot collided with Erol's ear.

It took the guy to the ground. He took out his communicator and yelled into it, "Fall back! We will get bigger numbers and come back later." A Krimson Guard zoomer came up to Erol and he jumped on while yelling down to the girl, "I'll be back for that girl. And I'll kill you and that rat!" Then the zoomer took off and Daxter and the girl were left alone in silence.

"Whoa!" Daxter whooped with excitement. "That was great! You kicked his butt!" He smiled up to the girl and saw that she looked very much like Roxie.

She looked down with a sly smile and nodded. She was breathing real hard and looked real tiered. "I guess it was pretty good. You okay?"

"Yeah," Daxter said while giving her a high five. "Thanks for saving my tail back there. What is your name again?" This teen was hot. He for sure wanted to hook up with her.

"Daxter?" she questioned. "It's me! Roxie!"

First there was confusion. Then panic. "ROXIE?!" he yelled while jumping in the air and waving his arms around.

A/N: Okay, real surprise ending and long chapter. More to come and explaining will come in next chapter too. I was not too sure on how to spell Krimson Guards here. Everyone said it begun with a C but I read a fan fiction that it started with a K. Help me out here, please. Give a review if you liked it! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3 Exploding Dice

A/N: Glad you liked the last chapter. You learn more about Roxie in his chapter. Daxter sort of freaks out here, but gets over it quickly. I got a bit of writer's block so that is why the chapter took so long. I don't own anything for Jak2, so here is the chapter! Please give a review.

Chapter 3

"You can't be the cute little kid who would not punch anyone even if her little life depended on it!" Daxter said while pointing up to the older Roxie.

Roxie folded her arms and gave an annoyed sigh. "It is me, Dax!" she pleaded. "Every day at noon I change into an older me. I can talk and can do everything an average teen elf can do at this age. Do you believe me?"

There was a long silence as Daxter just stared up at Roxie. She looked down to him with those big green eyes.

"You're crazy!" Daxter finally said while running away as fast as his little legs could take him. Roxie watched him go and rolled her eyes one more time. He could not run that fast and she let him run his heart out before sprinting to him.

"Come on!" she yelled to him while pulling up right beside her fuzzy friend. "I'm not that crazy! I might have problems, but they are not big."

Daxter had a look of panic on his face as he looked over to her running beside him. "Problems?!" he yelled. "You call giving visions to people and turning from a cute little girl to a hot teen having little problems?!"

Roxie had to make Daxter stop so he would calm down. She wanted a friend. If he just calmed down and listened to her maybe he would befriend her again. She picked up speed and ran in front of him and stopped so he would bump into her.

Daxter just kept running and ran right through her legs. He ran around the corner and Roxie knew it was her job to get to him before a Krimson Guard did. She jumped up and stole a two-seat zoomer. A sly smile was on her face as she slammed down on the gas and flew around the corner.

Daxter did not see her coming behind him. She leaned out of her zoomer and picked him up by his tail. "Hey!" he yelled to her. "I only got one of those!" She set him beside her on the zoomer and flew up to be with all the other zoomers in the air.

"Calm down, Daxter!" she said to him. "When I got shot that day at school something happened to me. To save my brain from going haywire they had to hurt my voice box so in my brain would not have to compute everything to words and it would save that part of my brain."

He looked over to her from panting. "Is that why you could not talk in small form?" he asked while trying to get his heart rate down. It was beating so fast he thought it would explode right then and there.

"They said I would gain my voice a year afterwards and my brain would be okay," Roxie said while getting stuck in traffic. "I did not gain it back but I got something other than that. I could share memory of my life to other people and talk to people in their heads."

Daxter nodded while slowly beginning to figure out everything. "I saw the vision of that kid and the whole school burning down. And you talked to me in my thoughts. But that does not explain why you grow ten years in a second."

Roxie gave a weak smile to her friend. "I so badly wanted my voice back...so...I...I tried to gain it back by getting my hands on green ego. The stuff I got my hands on, though, was it but had some other toxic stuff in it. It only lasts for five hours in the day, but it kept coming back after that."

"So you're saying that every day at noon you turn into your older self and you are healthy and well?" he asked. Roxie nodded. "And it only lasts till five?" She nodded again. Then there was a long silence.

"I think that is awesome!" Daxter then said. "You can be a kid and a teen in the same day. Don't you like it?"

"My parents would freak if they found out!" Roxie said over dramatically to her friend. "It is okay and everything...but..." she faded off and her face saddened.

"Your parents have no idea that you change into this everyday?" Daxter asked while pointing to Roxie with confusion. She just nodded. "Okay," he concluded, "Your parents would freak." He crossed his arms in front of him and waited for her to say something. She was a bit strange, but for some reason Daxter liked her that way.

"Let's get off this thing," Roxie said to him while not even bothering to lowering the zoomer. She lifted her leg over and jumped off while doing a flip in the air. Daxter hopped up in his seat and jumped off in a very clumsy way.

"Park it next time, punk!" a guy on a zoomer behind the one they just got off yelled down to Roxie while shaking his balled fist into the air in anger.

She turned around and looked at the guy coldly and said, "I don't see a sigh to park it, so shut it and leave it up to whomever."

"Want me to bring this subject up with a Krimson Guard?" the guy asked while he saw Roxie walk off.

Roxie turned around again with a bit of frustration and asked, "Are you such a wimp that you have to call on a guard to defend you?" Daxter tried to keep down a snicker, but was failing. The guy saw him laugh and got madder.

"At least get it out of the way!" he snapped to Roxie while glaring down at Daxter.

"Don't wet your pants, tough guy," Roxie said while taking out a blue see-through dice with a different elf symbol on each side. (a/n: It is just like our dice just that it is in the elf language and not English.) Daxter eyed the dice in her hand and wondered what she was doing. Maybe she was crazy.

"What are you going to do?" the guy asked with a mocking laugh at her. "Knock me out with the little dice?"

"Watch," was her simple answer. She tossed the dice up with her gloved hand and caught it after twirling around a few times. Both Daxter and the guy looked bored but Roxie was smiling. She finally caught the dice with her fingerless glove and there was a tiny beeping sound when it touched her skin.

She then quickly threw her blue dice to the abandoned zoomer in front of the guy's zoomer, and right when it collided with the zoomer there was a huge explosion, and the thing blew away and hit the side of a building. There was a screech of metal as the zoomer and a metal roof scraped together and sparks flew into the air.

Everyone's eyes were on Roxie now to see what else she had in store for the poor guy on the zoomer. She had been shielding her eyes with an arm and now she held out her palm to the blown up zoomer. In just a few seconds the blue dice re built itself and was in the palm of Roxie's gloved hand.

The dramatic silence in the town came crashing down when a Krimson Guard came up and asked in a rough voice, "What is going on?"

Roxie hid her dice behind her back and gave a warning glare up to the guy on the zoomer. "I...uh...I kicked the zoomer away and it blew up by mistake. She was just asking if I was okay," the guy said without meeting anyone's eyes. He then took off with his zoomer and everyone went back to his or her normal days.

"That was great," Daxter said while zipping up Roxie's leg and stopping at her shoulder. She was not used to have him on her shoulder and tried to shrug him off, but he made sure to stay on her shoulder.

Roxie shrugged her shoulders and only one went up because of the new weight on the shoulder Daxter was resting on. She did not like him there, but if that was the way he traveled she had to get used to it. Plus, she had been noticing that she was a ton faster than he was when walking.

"It was easy," Roxie said while taking out her blue dice. She rested it in the palm of her gloved hand and explained to the fuzzy creature on her shoulder how it worked. "Normal dice right now, right? But when it touches skin the thing goes haywire inside." She threw it into the air and caught it in her fingerless gloved hand. All this time Daxter's eyes were on the dice.

Roxie dropped the dice on the ground and stepped away before it exploded loudly. They got a few stares from the elves walking around the town, but the two were not concerned on them at the time.

"Now watch," she said to Daxter and held out her palm of her gloved hand to the dice. It quickly rebuilt itself in seconds. It was like an invisible hand grabbed the dice and brought it back to the palm of Roxie's hand. "This glove controls the dice and what they do. When I'm doing this it rebuilds and after that it finds its way back to my hand. Easy controls for the thing."

"Where did you get it?" Daxter asked as switched to Roxie's other shoulder as she slipped the dice back into one of her tattered pant pockets.

"Stole it from my dad's boss," Roxie said. "He has tons of gizmos and gadgets all around his hideout. Found it one day when I went with my dad. I snuck in when I was in this form the next day and stole some. Got hurt by trying to find out how to use them." She said this with a laugh of remembering almost getting blown up by her new prize. (a/n: if you did not figure out yet her dad works with the underground and she stole the dice from Torn.)

Roxie walked on with Daxter on her shoulder and they were both alone with their thoughts. Daxter was dwelling on Jak most of the time while Roxie was thinking more on the lines of food. Very suddenly the street was cleared of people. Little zoomers flew above the two and it was real quiet as Roxie kept walking.

Daxter jumped off Roxie's shoulder and sniffed the air for no reason. "Smell anything funny?" he asked while quickly running to catch up with Roxie's long strides. He stayed close to her legs because things were getting weird suddenly.

Roxie sniffed the air and shook her head. "I smell nothing, but I don't hear anything as well." She slowed her pace and scanned around her with her worried green eyes.

"I smell laser dust," Daxter said with a worry in his voice. "That means guns. Lots of them because it is strong in my nose." He looked up to Roxie, but she was too busy looking around the area to glance to him. He already knew she was worried, though.

"It is quiet," Roxie said while stopping in her tracks and snapping her head around to see if anyone was following them. No one was on the road and nothing in the air. "Too quiet."

"And that will soon stop if someone does not talk," came a cold voice from ahead. Roxie zipped around with Daxter and saw Erol there walking towards them with a steady pace of confidence. His pistol clanked quietly on the side of his leg and his hand was ready to pull it out at anytime.

"What do you want now, fruit head?" Daxter asked while bringing up the whole fruit stand thing from around only two hours back. This did not do anything to Erol. He stopped around three yards away from the teen and her furry friend on the ground beside her leg.

Erol did not even glance at Daxter and said, "It is either going to prison and being forced for information there, telling me everything I want to know here, or dieing from one of the guns surrounding you." He gave a slight nod and from rooftops and behind things around 20 Krimson Guards stepped out reveling some laser guns.

The ominous touch creped up Roxie's skin as she looked around her. She gave a worried glance down to Daxter and he just looked mad. He pushed himself away from Roxie and came to the middle of Erol and his friend. You could not miss the anger in his eyes.

"What did you do to Jak?" he demanded to Erol with as much power in his voice as he could muster. With the many Krimson Guards around fear was making its way into Daxter even though the cockiness would always be there.

Erol laughed as he looked down at Daxter with his cold brown eyes. The laugh echoed around and it gave Roxie chills. "The rat wants to see Jak?" He walked up to Daxter and got onto one knee to get to his eye level. Daxter did not dare back away. They were so close Erol could almost feel Daxter's fur while Daxter could smell the breath of the enemy.

"How cute," Erol muttered deathly to Daxter and it looked like they were battling it out with lasers in their eyes. It was test of confidence as they both locked eyes. First one to back down would lose.

Roxie folded her arms in front of her while giving a sigh. "Some times you act like such a baby, Erol," she said while grabbing Daxter away and giving Erol a cold glare. "Bug off!" she snapped to him as he got up and stood up straight and tall even though he was a bit short.

Erol rolled his eyes and went down to busyness with the girl. "You know where the little girl is. Tell us now where she is and I might be kind."

Daxter snorted while rolling his eyes. "The kindest thing you ever done was shooting your foot. That was the most funniest too. That gives you two points in one action. Welcome to the game."

"Shut it, rat!" Erol yelled at him while glaring down at Daxter. "Now just tell me where the girl is."

"You might want to run everything by me again," Roxie said with pretend confusion. "Because I don't speak stupid. If my ears were just a bit longer maybe I could understand you."

Something like a growl was heard from Erol as he pushed his anger down inside of him. He saw as Roxie tried to make her ears longer by pulling on them. "I'm not letting you buy time, girl," he said to Roxie. "The little girl is a friend with the kid who plans to take over Haven City. Baron Praxis says get the information and kill anyone in the way. So if you will not tell all hell will break loose!"

"What do we do?!" Daxter whispered to Roxie while still looking at Erol. He could see in the girl's eyes that the wheels in her head were spinning quickly. He hoped she was quick thinking or they would end up dead.

"I need time!" Roxie whispered down to Daxter through clenched teeth. If she could wait some stupid towns person would fly in with a zoomer and she and Daxter would be out of there, but she had no idea how long that would take. Her plan could fail miserably if there was a blockade anywhere near.

"Time is not on our side right now, Roxie!" Daxter whispered quickly with a bit of panic on his face. He was starting to get real jumpy next to her and kept looking back from his friend to foe.

"I could tell you everything you wanted to know about this girl," Roxie said slowly. She saw the evil smile on Erol's face when she said this. He put his hands behind his back and he waited for her to go on.

"BUT," she said loudly while looking up to see a Krimson Guard zoomer coming above her. It would have to do and she did get plenty of ammo in that cruiser, and it was small, so turns would be easy and speed was in seconds. "Telling a guy like you where she is not on my to do list. Call me later!"

Roxie jumped up and hit the guy on the small red zoomer under the chin. He fell off to the hard ground with a thump. He was knocked out cold. Erol swore loudly while pulling out his pistol and shooting at the zoomer Roxie was now on. "Shoot her, you idiots!" he yelled to the other Krimson Guards.

"Don't think so!" Daxter said from right below Erol. He looked down with a bit of shock on his face. "Shoot me!" Daxter yelled while spreading his arms into the air. Some of the Krimson Guards looked over to Daxter and began to fire.

There were two problems there. One, Daxter was right next to their leader, Erol. Two, the Krimson Guards could not aim if their lives depended on it. Daxter jumped out of the way and was picked up by Roxie on the smoking zoomer. Erol duck-rolled out of the way of lasers and quickly got up.

"I'll catch up with them on a zoomer," Erol shouted to his team. "Try to set up blockades to stop her." He skillfully jumped up on a Krimson Guard zoomer just like the one Roxie was on and shoved his pistol back into place.

He looked down and saw that no one was doing anything still. "Grr. GO NOW!" he yelled and they finally jumped into action on setting up blockades for the girl. The girl was going to pay for what she had done to his image. He flew around a corner and made a mental note to start racing for zoomers. It could come in handy.

"Erol!" someone called from Erol's communicator. He snapped it off his belt and realized it was the Baron.

"Great," he muttered sarcastically. "What do you need, sir?" he asked and tried to keep the annoyed tone out of his voice.

"Do you have the girl yet?" Baron Praxis asked with demand in his stern voice. Erol knew he was mad from just his voice. "A Krimson Guard said you failed the first time because of giant rat throwing fruit at you. Would you like to explain?"

"I'm going to kill that guard for that," Erol said to himself then answered, "I got another girl who knows where the little girl is. You will have your answers for this kid by to night."

"I better," the Baron spat out. "Or I'm cutting you, Erol. Don't disappoint me!"

Erol had a bit of worry in his eyes as he hung up on the communicator. The look vanished soon as he spotted Roxie's zoomer ahead. They were good as dead now.

A/N: Sorry for long chapter. People like long chapters and I hope I'm right about what I just said. If you don't tell me and I can cut it short a bit. Please give a review! Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4 Zoomer Fight

A/N: I got a HUGE headache right now but I'm still typing for some stupid reason. I'm not smart enough to take some pill to take the pain away. I got my braces put on to day. Yes, I'm going into 9th grade and is going to be a fence face for two whole years. They HURT! Anyways, I got little to say. I don't own anything for Jak2. Please R&R.

WRTD: I will tell you later in this chapter how she got away with being older with her parents and you will see Jak some time. He does see Roxie sometime, but they don't really speak to each other till the end. And I was going to have that Roxie and her family dies so it would be real sad. That was going to be my tragedy. But I got a better ending in my head, so I changed quickly. The ending is real sneaky. Mwahaha! Thanks for the review!

Chapter 4

"Daxter!" Roxie yelled over the roar of the zoomer. The fuzz-ball was clinging onto her neck and was not ready to let go. He kept yelling and was starting to give Roxie a headache. "Get off!" she yelled to him. "You're choking me and I can't get us out of this mess if I die!"

Daxter stopped yelling and gained his senses. He jumped down to Roxie's lap and muttered a sorry. He noticed that she was pretty good on the zoomer. She was having trouble using the gun on her zoomer and turning at the same time. The zoomer went sideways when she turned a sharp corner and she almost slammed into a building.

Daxter looked behind them and saw Erol on a cruiser like theirs and gaining speed fast. In no time at all he was right beside them. Roxie looked over and gasped. The wind blew into her face sharply and her long hair whipped in the wind. She had to shake him off to get away from the Krimson Guards now.

They blasted into a section of Haven City that had lots of people and zoomers and both of them almost crashed into them. Roxie went one way after braking quickly. Erol had to turn another way and search for her in the flood of zoomers. They were going down if it was the last thing he did.

"We got to get rid of him!" Daxter yelled up to Roxie as she gained speed. "Look out!" he yelled as they almost slammed into a light post that was at a corner of a bridge in the section of the city. Roxie turned sharply and hit her leg into the light post with a grunt of frustration. She felt the hard metal hit her leg and shoot a pain through her ankle. In two seconds it glowed green and the pain went away slowly. No one noticed it because it was so quick.

Roxie winced and saw out of her the corner of her eye Erol fly around her on his zoomer. He fired at her and she ducked to get out of the way of the lasers. She got out of the place as quickly as she could and Daxter got up to her shoulder so he could get a better view around him and so that Roxie could lean down to gain more speed.

"Hold on, Dax!" Roxie yelled and a sly smile spread across her lips as she glanced evilly at Erol.

"Why?" Daxter asked with confusion. He was too late, though. Roxie slammed on her brakes and before Daxter could get a grip on her shoulder, he flew off and into the air. Erol flew right by her too and grabbed Daxter by the back of his neck.

"That was not planned," Roxie muttered while quickly trying to catch up with them. "I'll just sneak up on him and take him down by surprise," she said to herself and turned a corner to go another way.

"Tell me where the girl is!" Erol barked out at Daxter as he dangled the creature out by only his tail. The ground flew by them that only showed bridges and water.

Daxter gulped and said, "I have no idea what the heck you're talking about!" He really hoped Roxie would come soon to his rescue.

"You will tell me now or I'm dropping you to your death," Erol demanded. He flipped up his mask and glared at Daxter with his hard eyes. "You know how to swim, right?"

"What do you think?" Daxter yelled while struggling to get out of the grip. "For half otter of course I can swim. You're not that bright, are you?"

"Just talk!" Erol hissed.

"You are one seriously crazed up fruit loop," Daxter said with a touch of pretend boredom to his voice. "I'll never tell you where the girl is even if I knew where she was." Daxter looked around with worry and said, "Speaking of girls, where is she?"

"Right here!" Roxie yelled and she slammed her zoomer into Erol's. There was a screech as metal collided with metal. Sparks flew around and Erol had to back away so his zoomer would not blow up.

"Where did you come from?!" he asked in total confusion. She had surprised him when she suddenly came out of nowhere. They were both side-by-side on the zoomers. Erol slammed back into Roxie's zoomer to try and get her knocked off. Nothing worked.

"My mom said it was the stork, but I don't really believe her," Roxie answered with a smile. She grabbed Daxter and pulled him away from Erol. He was not about to let his prize go and hung onto Daxter's tail with a firm grip.

"Let go, freak!" Roxie yelled and tried to get Daxter free. Erol smiled and flipped on his mask. He flew away from Roxie and she had to fly towards him to keep hold of poor Daxter who was dangling five yards above the ground.

"Tell me where the girl is!" Erol yelled as he yanked on Daxter's tail and it sent Roxie almost off her zoomer. Her head slammed into Erol's shoulder and she winced. With a disgusted look on her face she shoved him away and got seated back on her own zoomer.

"Yew!" she yelled while sticking out her tongue. "I can't believe I touched you! I'm going to die!" she yelled over dramatically with a loud moan. Daxter tried to kick Erol away, but nothing was working. He was stuck in a tug-a-war with Erol and Roxie and he was the rope.

"So sorry to cut off your death moan," Erol said with cockiness in his voice, "But you might want to let go." He pointed ahead and Roxie saw that she was going to slam into a light poll again.

She had to let go of Daxter so she could turn, but that was a big mistake. Roxie slammed on her brakes and turned just in time to see Erol drop Daxter into the water with a cold laugh of triumph.

"I don't know how to swim, Roxie!" Daxter yelled while dropping. Erol took out his pistol and aimed at Daxter. Roxie jumped off her zoomer and landed on Erol's and almost slipped off. Erol fell off and shot the air instead of Daxter.

Erol grabbed the railing on a bridge to keep himself out of the water and his pistol fell into the water with Daxter. With a scream Roxie fell off the zoomer and hit her head on the railing of the bridge. Erol tried to grab her to keep her from falling but failed.

Roxie was knocked out cold and fell into the water with a giant splash. She started to sink and Erol just watched in silence. He was breathing heavily as he crawled up over the railing. That was the end of the girl and her pet. No trouble from them and he could get down to busyness on finding the kid.

Thunder cracked above right after a flash of lightning. It was the perfect way to end the teen's death. The rain sprinkled down and Erol turned away with no amount of pity in his eyes. He cleared the area away of people wondering what had happened. He ran his fingers through his red hair and jumped back onto his zoomer and drove away.

There was a gasp from the waters below the bridge and a fuzzy head popped up above the water. Daxter coughed up water and only had seconds of air before sinking back down underwater. He was carrying Roxie in his small hands and was doing a very slow job of returning her to the surface. There was a glow of green underwater for a few seconds, but no one noticed it.

He finally made it to a platform that lead into the water and he dragged Roxie to it. He pulled hard and finally got Roxie's whole body out of the freezing water. Daxter glanced around and saw that Erol was gone. Worry was still in his eyes, though. He looked down onto the lifeless body of Roxie and panic flashed through his body.

"C'mon!" he yelled. "You got to still be alive! Somebody get over here!"

He heard a gasp from on the street and a woman ran beside Daxter. "What happened?" she asked while looking over Roxie with worry.

"She hit her head and was under the water for a long time," Daxter said while clutching his head. "I don't know if she is still alive! Help her!"

"She still has a pulse," the lady said. "But I think she is just fine. She did not hit her head too hard and you will just have to pump the water out of her stomach and she will come to quickly." The lady got up and ran off to get away from the storm. "Good luck!" she called before disappearing in the crowd.

Daxter frowned. "Yeah, thanks lady," he muttered sarcastically under his breath. "You were a ton of help." He turned back to Roxie and started to push on her stomach. After a few pushes water started to spurt out of her mouth and she started to move.

Roxie sat up on the platform with Daxter on her stomach. She coughed and the water in her mouth splattered all over Daxter's face. He frowned and an annoyed sigh was heard from him. He swiped the spit mixed with water off his face with a paw and looked back to Roxie.

"That was fun," she muttered in only a whisper, but Daxter could still hear her. The rain came down harder and they were the only ones out there. She held her head with one hand and winced.

"Hit your head there real hard," Daxter said with a slight smile. "You okay, kid?"

"I know how to heal this," Roxie said and squeezed her eyes shut. After a few seconds her whole body glowed green and the scares on her body slowly went away and the bump faded on her head. Daxter stood on her stomach with a look of shock planted on his face. She was flowing with green eco.

She opened her eyes and flashed her friend a smile. "Did I tell you that the green eco never leaves my body when I'm in teen mode?"

"You're just full of surprises," Daxter muttered while shaking his head and helping Roxie to her feet. "Maybe that is how you survived that long time in the water. If not you would be swimming with the fishes by now."

Roxie thought about it then nodded in agreement. She looked down to her friend and his fur was all wet and that he looked like a drowned rat. The water they had fallen in was real cold and the rain was not making it any better. He started to shiver a little as they walked away to get shelter from the rain.

"Daxter," she said with a bit of concern in her voice. He looked up at her and was shivering so hard it looked like an invisible hand was shaking him around. "You're shaking!"

"Yeah," he said with teeth chattering, "I'm a bit cold...and hungry. Let's get something to eat."

"That would be good," Roxie said while shivering a bit herself. After all the adventure that day all the animal was worried about was food. She guessed that was just Daxter. "I a ton of money. We can go somewhere nice if you want."

"Nah," he said with a shrug but you could not see it because he was shaking so hard. "Just some place with okay food and a heater." She nodded and he quickly followed her to a small wooden stand outside but with a tarp to keep the rain out. A lurker was inside mixing different foods and such. (a/n: I'm saying that Daxter had seen Bruter before because he did not look all that surprised to see Brutter the first time you meet him in the game.)

"Are you sure this is a good place to go?" Daxter asked his friend as she walked up to the wooden stand. "And what is that lurker doing here?!"

"No," Roxie whispered to Daxter. "He is cool. He knows my secret and I work here sometimes. He pays me good. His fish burgers are perfect. You have to try one!"

Roxie walked up to the stand and Daxter followed slowly behind her. When the lurker saw her he smiled real big and he looked real happy to see her there. Roxie sat down with Daxter and he kept a sharp eye on the lurker fellow. They were the only ones in the stand because no one was out because of the rain.

"Little teen girl!" the lurker exclaimed haply. He gave her a great bear hug and it looked like he was squishing her bones, but she seemed to understand him. "You not work in long time. I missed you."

He let her go and she gasped for air. She gave him a warm smile and said, "Brutter, I was gone for two days. I've been busy with my hundred other jobs as a teen. You still pay me the best, though."

"Who this?" Brutter asked while pointing to Daxter with a fuzzy purple index finger.

"Name's Daxter," Daxter said while eyeing the lurker suspiciously. He winced when he saw the lurker about to slap him. Daxter opened his eyes when he felt nothing and saw that the lurker only wanted to shake hands. With a slight hesitation Daxter shook hands with his old enemy and muttered, "Nice to meet you." The giant handshake from Brutter shook him around. Roxie just tried to hide a snicker.

"Orange fuzzy friend," Bruter said when he saw Daxter shiver. "You need blanket. Both of you." He knelt down and pulled out two thick green blankets and gave them to his two friends with a giant smile. Daxter wrapped his around him and gave a tiny smile. Roxie draped hers around her shoulders and quickly felt the warmth of it.

"Could you get us two fish burgers, Bruter?" Roxie asked while taking out a few wet dollars from her pocket.

He gave the money back to her and said, "On the house. Keep money." She smiled and nodded. She slipped the money back in her pocket and turned to Daxter. Bruter went right away on cooking their food and he left the two to talk.

"When did lurkers go nice?" Daxter whispered to her.

Roxie shrugged. "I don't know what world you came from, but lurkers have been always been nice. They are like big stuffed animals. They might not be all that smart, but I think they are cool. I can't believe they are being treated like slaves right now."

"Let me tell you now, sister," Daxter said. "I've never met a nice lurker in the country. Maybe in the city they tamed them or something."

"So you come from the country?" Roxie asked. "That is real far away right now. I've never been out of Haven City because of all the Metal Heads coming in. My dad is thinking on getting teleported to where the outcasts go in the dessert. If those Metal Heads get through the wall and come into the city my dad said we are leaving in a heart beat."

"Metal Heads?" Daxter asked with total confusion. "What the heck are those?"

Roxie gave him a sideways look and thought he was just joking around with her. "I don't know what kind of twigs you chew on in the country, but everyone knows what a Metal Head is. Just change the subject."

"Fine," Daxter said with a bit of annoyance. "How did you get the whole teen act past your parents anyways?"

"It has only been around five months with this form," Roxie said. "I told you before that for a year they told me to not talk. For around seven months I wished for my voice to come back. My parents pretty much left me alone for a long time when they told me I would not have my voice back, so when I got that green ego it was real no big deal because they were never around me from noon to five."

"That's funny," Daxter said with a smile. "And what was that whole thing with tons of jobs?"

"I had nothing to do when I was in teen mode, so I just picked up tons of part time jobs around Haven City," Roxie said. "With you it has been a lot more fun than before. I wonder what your friend is up to?"

Daxter went silent and just watched Bruter cook up their meal. "He got captured by those Krimson Guards and I want to save him but..." He faded off at the end. If he went to go find Jak he would have to leave Roxie. But he had to leave. Jak needed help.

"Look," Roxie said. Daxter looked up to her. "I've been thinking about it and I know your friend got captured by the Baron. And...I want to help you bust him out."

"Really?" Daxter asked slowly. This girl did not even know Jak and she wanted to help him get out of prison. She could be risking her life. "You're even more crazy than I thought you were."

"I'll tell the details why when I get changed back into kid form," Roxie said and saw that Bruter was done with their food. "I say we bust him out tomorrow when I'm in teen form because I will not get hurt that way."

"That would be cool," Daxter said with a smile. He was really jumping for joy inside. He was so happy she would help him. Jak would be out of jail in seconds. Things were looking up for all of them. He saw Roxie smile too as she took her plate of food.

They both picked up their fish burgers at the same time and glanced over to each other. With giant bites the two sunk into their meal with empty stomachs. Roxie was right. The fish burger was perfect. They nodded to Bruter and he just smiled at the two famished teens.

In the middle of a bite Roxie asked Daxter, "I thought you said you could not swim before Erol dropped you." She chewed her food and swallowed before going on and trying to look proper. "How did you carry me to that platform if you could not swim?"

"You got to understand how I work, kid," Daxter said and took a bite. He said some more with his face full of his meal. Roxie tried to follow but the food in his mouth was mumbling everything up.

"Daxter," she said with a hint of annoyance to her voice. He stopped and looked up at her. "I know how you work with you food right now. You try to talk and eat at the same time. It is not working, so swallow and start over." He stuck out his tongue at her and it had some chewed up food on it and was attempting to disgust her. To his surprise she did the same with some chewed up food on her own tongue.

Daxter then swallowed his food while glaring up at her and did a fake proper act. He took a napkin and patted it over his mouth and smoothed it over his lap. "Pardon my manners, miss Roxie," he said sounding like Jak's uncle and Roxie tried hard not to laugh at his actions. He was pretty good at being proper. "But as I was saying, if you thought I could not swim in that water you would jump in and save me and fake drown so that evil man, Erol, would leave. It was so very dreadful."

Roxie could not hold it in anymore. She burst out laughing and saw a smile come to Daxter's lips. "That was a great act," she said through giggles. "Where did you learn that?"

Daxter shrugged and said, "I liked to cheer Jak up sometimes and just got most of it from his uncle. Jak thought it was funny whenever I did that act. So how long till you switch back to kid form?"

"Around an hour," Roxie answered. "Let's head home. The slums are a little ways from here, so by the time we get there I will be back to little form. I could maybe help my mom cook dinner."

"Then let's go," Daxter said.

A/N: Okay, these braces are going to kill my mouth and I hope they stop sometime soon. If any of you have had braces tell me now if they keep hurting. I'm sorry for the extra long chapter. Tell me if you like the long chapters. If you don't like them I can change them real fast. Thanks! Please give a review!


	5. Chapter 5 Daxter the Pet

A/N: AHHHH! I HATE braces!! My teeth don't hurt anymore. They are now tearing up the inside of my mouth and it is all bloody and stuff. I will not bore you with my scares, though. I don't own any of the Jak2 stuff. Please R&R. Sorry if I don't answer your review. I'm in a great hurry right now and can only answer one.

WRTD: Thanks for the advice. The whole cold thing has been working, but my parents don't want me to drink up all their cold soda, so I have to deal with nothing cold for a few hours. I'm glad you liked the chapter and the whole proper act at the end. Typing this chapter will get my head away from braces and stuff. Thanks for the review.

Chapter 5

"So did you have a good day today, Roxie?" Vox asked his daughter at the dinner table. He sat at the end with his wife at the other. Roxie was on one side on a stool so she could reach up to the wooden table. Daxter had to deal with a normal chair with books stacked up on top of each other to reach the table.

Roxie looked up at Daxter and she flashed him a tiny smile on her cute little face. She had turned back from her teen mode and she was back into her little body again, but Daxter noticed little about the attitude of the girl. She was the same sly teen from before; just that she could not talk and was in a smaller body.

Daxter had seen the whole transformation of Roxie. It was simple really. All he saw was a flash of bright white light from Roxie and when the light died down there was the little cuteness standing there.

"It was kind of boring," Daxter said while stuffing his face with food. He was always hungry and Meg was a great cook. Roxie and him helped a little on the food, but Daxter got more in the way. They forgave him for the knocked over flour and the too much salt on the vegetables.

"What exactly did you do?" Vox asked with coldness in his voice. Daxter glanced over to him and swallowed hard on his food. Roxie shrugged and bit into more of her honey bread.

"We just walked around the city and stuff," Daxter said while holding eye contact with Roxie for a few seconds. "Don't worry, bub, I know Kung Fu and I can protect your daughter at all times." He got up on the table and did a little kick that by mistake kicked Vox's drink.

Vox stopped his cup from tipping over before the water fell out while glaring up at Daxter dangerously. Daxter gave a sheepish grin and sat back down in his chair. Roxie was trying so hard not to laugh. Vox cooled down when he saw the smile on his daughter's face.

"Eat your vegetables before your honey bread, dear," Meg said quietly to Roxie while pointing to the green stick on her plate that had a huge pile of salt on top. Roxie looked over to her green stick with as great look of disgust.

"They taste better with that much salt," Daxter pointed out and shoved a mouthful of meat into his mouth. He saw Roxie look up to him with a mean look, but he pretended to not see it. "Jak always loved to put that much salt on those," he said but it came out as, "ak ways oved to put at uch alt on ose."

"We have a rule not to talk with your mouthful," Vox said dryly to Daxter. Daxter looked over to him with an annoyed glare and rolled his eyes. The dad was getting on his nerves. He looked fine at first, but with all the questions he was getting kind of creepy.

"So where did you come from Daxter?" Meg asked with a bit of cheer to her voice.

"A place called Sandover Village," Daxter answered after swallowing.

"How did you get here?" Vox asked with a suspicious tone.

Daxter hesitated then finally said, "I got teleported here. No big deal. Me and my pal did it all the time. Did you know that if you hold your nose and jump in backwards..."

"We have not gotten a portal to the country in forever," Vox snapped and Roxie glanced up from her vegetables to her friend. Meg looked over to Daxter with a look of worry in her eyes that were so much like Roxie's.

"I'm guessing you have not been teleporting in a long time, bub," Daxter said with a bit of frustration and anger in his voice, "Because I swear Jak and I went through a portal and ended up here. You can say all you want about teleporting but I know for sure what was going on."

There was a long silence that fell over the table. Daxter said nothing and just ate his food while thinking hard. If Vox was right and there really was no portals leading here then what did Jak and him fly through? He had no idea where they ended up still. Well, he was in Haven City. He had heard Erol and Roxie talk about the city. But he had never heard of Haven City.

Suddenly Daxter did not feel like eating. He fiddled with his fork till it was time to clear the table. He helped wash the dishes with little words. Roxie quickly went to her room and Daxter followed behind her with silence. She was a little worried about him.

Roxie put her fingers up to Daxter's forehead that were shaped as a V and he heard the words bounce around in his head, "I got to tell you what I saw when I got knocked out back there with the whole fight with Erol."

"Shoot," Daxter muttered while crossing his arms in front of him. He had a bit of frustration to his voice and Roxie wondered if this was the right time to show him her vision.

She went ahead anyways and put her whole hand on his forehead and they both closed their eyes. The vision was of Jak and the frustration quickly flew away from Daxter as he watched in his head what Jak was doing.

As always the vision had no sound, but it did not really matter. Daxter saw Jak crouched up in a ball in the corner of a tiny metal room. One side of the tiny cramped room was some thick metal bars and his cell was among many. Beside his cell were others just like his, but they were empty or had the remains of a dead elf left in them because of some lazy janitor who had to pick up the dead bodies.

Jak looked a bit frightened and scared. His big blue eyes flashed terror as the bars to his cell flew up and two Krimson Guards came in. Jak was pulled up from where he was on the floor and almost dragged out of his cell. They pushed and pulled the protesting Jak to a chair in the middle of the big room.

After a long time of struggling Jak had no more energy left in his poor body and finally let the two Krimson Guards push him into the chair. They strapped him to the chair by his wrists and then walked away to leave Jak alone with their leader.

It was Baron Praxis. Daxter saw his lips move so that he was talking to Jak. He then gave an evil smile and pushed a few buttons on the control panel next to the chair Jak was in. Then the vision was done.

They both opened their eyes and a long silence filled Roxie's little room. Roxie then put her fingers to Daxter's head and said into his mind, "That is the reason why I really want to save Jak. I can't just sit around here and let him get tortured by that Baron!"

"It can't be that easy," Daxter said while thinking hard. "Erol is still around with his Krimson Guards. If he finds you then we are as good as dead. You got to change your whole teen form from top to bottom."

Roxie cocked her head to the side and put her fingers back to his forehead again. "What is wrong with what I look like then?!"

Daxter looked at her blankly and said, "I don't want to mean but, the long hair is way out of style and the clothes got to change right away. We just got to get something that fits your figure."

"What is wrong with my figure?!?!" Roxie screamed in Daxter's head and he pulled away with a wince. She gave him a mean look and was totally ticked off at him.

"Sheesh!" he said while rubbing his head in pain. He quickly made a mental note to never piss her off when she was in little form. "Nothing is wrong with you," he said to calm her down. "Really your quite hot. Just that the clothes you wear is a bit old. You got to get something new."

Roxie had to put her fingers back onto Daxter's forehead. He hesitated a bit in fright that she might yell again in his head, but he knew she had to talk some how so he let her go ahead. She hated not being able to talk. Having to touch a forehead every time she wanted to say something was tiring.

"So I need a new hair do, new clothes, and new everything?" she asked in Daxter's head and he nodded. "I want a hat!" he said with excitement to her voice. Daxter just laughed at her actions.

* * *

"Just pick a freakin' outfit and get your butt out of there," Daxter said while leaning against the leg of a table next to the dressing room that Roxie was in. "I don't think when we rescue Jak he will dwelling on what you are wearing."

"Okay, Dax, I'm ready!" Roxie said and she flew the door open and jumped out with her new outfit on. Daxter just stared and said nothing as he jaw hit the floor.

She wore a white shirt under a black shirt that had little holes in it so you could see the white one under it. It showed her small bare midriff. She had on some purple jean shorts and a thick black belt rested on one side of her hip and the other was loose and held a little pack that held a few odd and ends in it. Her black boots came up to her knees. (They are the ones that vampire girl wears in the movie Underworld.) She still had on her gloves and a pair of purple tinted goggles rested around her neck.

"Say something," Roxie said flatly. Guys could be guys.

Daxter finally snapped back into reality and cleared his head. This was his friend not some girl being a model for him. They were here for Jak.

"You look really good," Daxter said while jumping up to her shoulder. "And I love the new do. Goes very good with your new outfit." He ruffled her short hair that was all spiky and was way different than her long hair.

"Oh my gosh!" Roxie gasped and pointed ahead with an index finger to a hat stand. "That hat is mine!" She rushed to the stand and Daxter had to hang on tight so he would not fall off her shoulder. She quickly took a hat and paid the person who worked at the stand.

"Happy now?" Daxter asked flatly as Roxie gave a huge smile and put the three cornered hat on her head. (It looks like the hat Jack Sparrow has in POTC.)

"Let's head to the palace now," Roxie said while fixing her hat on in the right place. "The hat is perfect. I love it, Daxter."

"Yeah, yeah, warm fuzzies all around," Daxter muttered while rolling his eyes. Sometimes Roxie could really act like a kid while in teen form. "Let's just get there before we run into any Krimson Guards. Are you sure the ventilation shaft will work?"

"It will be perfect, Dax," Roxie said with a wave of her gloved hand. "Oh no."

"Great," Daxter said sarcastically and looking up ahead to see Erol coming towards them. "The world's freak is coming our way again."

"What do I do?!" Roxie almost freaked out right then and there on the spot. "What do you do?!"

"Calm down, kid!" Daxter hissed into her ear. "Act normal for once and look like you have never seen him before." He quickly jumped to the ground and got onto his four paws like he was some animal, even though he really was. "And for me," he said up to her. "I'll just look like your average pet." He took off his gloves and cap and shoved them into her belt right before Erol spotted them.

He walked up to them and eyed both with a bit of confusion. He stopped when he came up to her in the crowd and said, "We have a rule to have all pets on a leash in this part of Haven City." He pulled out a collar and rope and handed them to Roxie.

"Uh..." Roxie muttered before taking them, "Thanks."

"Have we met before?" Erol said and Roxie knew for sure she was busted. "Maybe if I know your name I could remember." Daxter rolled his eyes from where he was on the ground trying to look like a pet. He was not that great at flirting.

"I don't know you," Roxie said a bit clueless to what Erol was doing. She glanced down to Daxter who was rubbing against her legs like he was some cat. "What the heck is he doing?" she thought and tried to kick Daxter away.

"Maybe you will know me by my racing," Erol said and flashed Roxie a smile. "I'm in third class racing and this is my first year doing it."

Roxie now caught on to what he was doing and almost burned him to a crisp. This guy was really starting to get on her nerves. "So the picture of you all around the city is really you?"

"Yeah," he said with a laugh. "They could not make enough of me."

"I just thought they messed up because I had always thought the guy was ugly," Roxie said like she was clueless on who he really was. She saw the anger burn in his eyes and he tried to cover it up.

"Yeah," he said nervously and tried to kick Daxter away from going around his own legs. "They sort of did mess up on that picture. I can just get the Baron to make me another one to put around the city. You know that I'm the head leader of the Krimson Guards?" he asked while getting closer to Roxie.

"Somebody help!" Roxie screamed in her head. That was when Daxter struck with his teeth.

"OUCH!" Erol yelled loudly and he jumped away from Roxie and Daxter while clutching his ankle that was bleeding a little. "Your pet bit me!" he said while pointing down to Daxter who was twisting around Roxie's legs with a sly smile on his face.

Roxie tried hard to keep down a laugh and started to pet Daxter. "He does not like strangers." She picked up Daxter like he really was a pet and started to run down the street. "I got to go. See you later," she said back to Erol with an evil smile on her face. When he was out of earshot she muttered, "Let's hope not!"

Daxter jumped back onto her shoulder as she dumped the leash on the ground. He quickly put back on his gloves and cap. "It took a while for you to catch on, but you were perfect," Daxter said to her. "Next time don't kick me so hard."

"Sorry," she said with a weak smile. "You came just in time, though. He deserved that bite you gave him." They both laughed and came to the huge building that held Jak in it. It loomed up before them and went way above the other buildings around them.

"We are going to have to go in that?" Daxter asked with still looking up.

"I told you before, Daxter," Roxie said while taking out a wrench and coming up to a ventilation shaft. She took out all the bolts and slid the cover off. She let Daxter go in first and followed right behind him.

It was dark and musty in the shaft. Daxter sneezed and a mist of dust rose from the bottom on the shaft. Roxie coughed on it and it only brought up more. They kept going for around three minutes and just kept crawling straight.

"You would think they would put some security system in here," Daxter said with his cocky voice as always.

BOOM! The sound came from far away and it echoed around the tiny chamber. The two suddenly became alert and both looked up with dread.

"You had to ask," Roxie muttered to him as they saw the stream of air come right at them from ahead. "Brace yourself!" she yelled and clung desperately to the sides of the shaft.

Daxter yelled and was hit full blast by the air. He slammed into Roxie's face and this sent the two rolling through the shaft back to where they came from. After a long tumble they fell out in a heap of arms and legs.

"That was painful," Roxie muttered while getting up and brushing herself off.

"Let's go through the shaft, Daxter," Daxter mimicked Roxie and trying to sound like her. "It will be fine, Daxter," he went on while walking around Roxie. "We will get to Jak in seconds, Daxter. Well, where the heck are we now?!"

Roxie winced when she heard Daxter yell. He looked up at her with anger and waited for the teen to say something. He was done. He had gotten his point across to her.

"Okay," Roxie started with a deep sigh, "That did not work, but I know a map shop that will have everything we need to get into the palace. I can make things better by going there."

"Fine," Daxter said while jumping to her shoulder. "Plus, I can't stay mad at you for forever."

A/N: Not that long of chapter, but I had fun writing it. Please send a review! Next chapter should be out real soon!


	6. Chapter 6 Precursor Hunting

A/N: Glad you liked last chapter. New characters are in this one and I hope it turns out well. In the game Daxter knew outside the city walls were Metal Heads, so I have it in this fic that this is the reason why he knew. He figures it out the hard way with Roxie. Please give a review!

WRTD: My braces feel almost normal now! And the Underworld movie I thought was a bit strange with the vampires and stuff, but I kind of liked it even though it had tons of gore and no comic relief. It is only rated R because of action and gore. Thanks for the review though.

Chapter 6

"Please don't tell me this is run by Lurkers too," Daxter muttered flatly to Roxie. "I still think those guys are freaky. Brutter might have been nice," he then narrowed his eyes and said in a deep low voice, "You never know."

Roxie laughed at his actions and tried one more time to get him off her shoulder. "You're funny," she said, "But I hate having you ride my shoulder. Let's set some rules."

"This does not sound good," Daxter murmured.

"When we walk long ways you can ride all you want," Roxie started, "But when I stop and stuff can you just walk?"

"Sounds easy enough," Daxter said, "But if I die of too much walking I will blame you."

"You can't blame anyone if you're dead," Roxie said.

"I knew that," Daxter said and she just rolled her eyes for a response. She came up to a little purple tent that had beads as the door. Daxter jumped off her shoulder and they both slowly pushed the beads away and stepped in.

The place looked smaller inside than from the outside. A big soft rug of many different shades of purple was on the floor. A tiny wooden desk was in the far right corner of the tent with a small chair behind it. Little baskets hung all around the dark room with some colorful elf fruit.

A few other nice rugs hung to the left side of the room. Small lantern type things hung around and gave the small place a soothing feeling. Roxie noticed a few other things hung up that gave off some strong sweet smells around the room. In a glass stand that was leaning against the right wall next to the desk had some old parchment maps in it. It also held some new holographic maps that most everyone in the city used.

"Nice place," Daxter said softly while looking around and sniffing the sweet smells. Roxie just nodded and glanced around. No living creature was there but for the few colorful birds in tiny wooden cadges.

"Nice place!" someone echoed Daxter in a high squeaky voice from behind the desk. "Nice place. Nice place..." the thing kept repeating the words and a tiny pink blob flew up from behind the desk with big cute eyes. (It is like morph from that Disney movie, Treasure Planet.)

"Awww!" Roxie said sweetly while watching the pink blob float around her. "It is so cute!"

Daxter frowned because this was wasting their time and half of because he was a little jealous of all the attention Roxie was giving it and not him. Daxter liked attention and he needed it. This pink blob was not helping.

"It is a morph," someone said from behind them and they both spun around to see who it was.

The guy had short brown hair and pale skin. His gray eyes were under his tiny glasses that were placed at the tip of his nose. He wore a silk white shirt under a purple vest and his pants were black. He looked a bit thin, but not wimpy. He spoke with an English accent and he held some parchment papers under his right arm. He looked to be in his thirties and very healthy.

"I rescued the little shape shifter from the Baron a few years ago," the guy said while adjusting his glasses with his left hand. "One of the very few species left on this planet. Very rare right now."

"Sorry about just walking in, sir," Roxie begun while scratching the back of her neck nervously. "Do you remember me?"

"I don't forget anything, miss Roxie," the guy said and it sounded like he was offended by what she had just said. "And I'm not giving you any job right now. I already told you that I'm busy at the moment and it is too dangerous to sneak into the palace."

"I'm not here for a job, sir," she said and tried to keep the annoyed tone out of her voice. "And how did you recognize me?"

"Who could forget those eyes of yours?" the guy said while walking past her and carefully putting his papers on his desk neatly. The little morph zipped around Daxter and he was starting to get dizzy with it going so fast.

"Cut it out," he hissed to it and tried to bat it away. It just repeated what he said and kept going. Daxter rolled his eyes and tried to focus on what Roxie and the guy was saying.

"I'm here for a map, sir," Roxie said while shoving a hand into her pack that was hooked onto her belt. She pulled out a wad of money and held it up to the guy.

He eyed the money over his glasses and shrugged. Roxie looked down to Daxter and they both gave sighs of frustration. "I got money for one, sir," Roxie said while holding the money out more. The reason why she kept calling "sir" was because the first time she met him in the streets he kept correcting her to say "sir" every time she spoke to him. To win points she was doing what he said.

The guy just said nothing and kept looking closely at his papers. Daxter had had enough of him and said loudly, "Look, moody map dude! We want a map for the palace, now give one to us!"

The guy looked sternly over his glasses down at Daxter and asked, "What street did you pick him up, Roxie? He could be infested with bugs." He wrinkled his nose at the thought.

"Enough about him," Roxie said with a bit of anger flashing into her eyes. Daxter looked like he was going to explode. "Just give us the right map and we can leave you in peace."

"How many precursors do you have?" the guy asked rudely.

"One," Roxie replied. "Why?"

"Give me nine more and I'll give a pretty good map of the palace," the guy said. Roxie's jaw dropped to the floor while Daxter just smiled. In his mind this was too easy.

"Why can't I just give you money?" Roxie asked.

"I like precursors and that is it," the guy answered. "The pumping station is loaded with precursors. Go there and get me some if you have no brains, or just forget it and leave me alone. I don't want you to be running around in the palace and getting yourself killed."

"Fine!" Roxie snapped back with anger. "But I'll be back with your stupid precursors! I swear I will!"

"Don't swear, miss Roxie," the guy said sternly. "And always remember to say 'sir' or 'ma'am' when you address your elders. Good day to you and your talking pet." He gave them a nod and went back to his work.

Roxie stood there for a few seconds with anger flowing through her. She was measuring on killing him now or just getting his precursors then killing him. She then stamped out of his tent in a ball of fire and said nothing. Daxter glanced behind them to the tent then ran to catch up with her.

"Ten precursors are simple," Daxter said while quickly jumping up to the seat next to Roxie's in a zoomer that was just left there. Roxie turned the keys sharply and it made a jingle sound then the engine roared into life. She went up to be with the rest of the zoomers and headed straight for the pumping station.

"You are more crazy than I am," Roxie said. "You don't know anything about Metal Heads, you think Lurkers are evil, and you think getting ten precursors are easy."

"So here precursors are hard to come by?" Daxter asked.

"Yeah," Roxie said. "Country people have it all good."

* * *

"So where do we begin looking?" Daxter asked as he walked on top of the soft sand in front of the pumping station. "It is not like they are hidden."

"Sometimes it really seems like it," Roxie said slowly while looking around carefully. She scanned the place for any Metal Heads and found none. So far it was going good. "Keep a sharp eye out for any Metal Heads and really search for a precursor."

Daxter shrugged and sniffed the air. It hung with a musty smell that was not too pleasant for the two. They slowly walked to the pumps that lifted to a higher platform and the sand crunched under their feet. The place was dead quiet that it made a shiver go down Roxie's shoulders.

"Let's go up," Roxie said while jumping swiftly onto a pump that was beginning to rise. Daxter jumped up and Roxie grabbed his paw to pull him up all the way. She jumped onto the next platform and yelled in surprise of the two bug-eyed green creatures waiting for her.

She attacked with a strong punch to the one and jumped out of the way of the other one. She swung her leg around and kicked it before it could come at her again. She took out her dice with her fingerless gloved hand and threw two on her dice at both of them. They exploded in a tiny ball of fire and their guts flew into the air and splattered all over the platform floor.

"Having fun?" Daxter asked while coming from behind a giant tank. He held up a precursor proudly to the girl and she took it from him with a smile.

"Two down and eight more to go," Roxie stated with a heavy sigh. She took out a long black cloth and made loops big enough for precursors to fit in. She then wrapped the thing around her shoulder and slipped the precursor in one of the loops.

"Smart," Daxter said and looked around to where to go next. "Where to?"

"This way," Roxie said while pointing to a ledge not too far away. She stuck out her gloved palm to her two blown up dice and they quickly rebuilt themselves and zipped to her hand in perfect condition. "Get on my shoulder as I jump," she ordered to Daxter and he did not ask questions.

"Hang on," she said while backing up. She was not a good jumper and had to push off harder than most people to get to far ledges. She ran as fast as she could and at the very edge of the platform rolled and pushed off with her feet on the side of the platform. She made it to the next ledge perfectly and got up with a smile.

"Where did you learn to do all this stuff?" Daxter asked while jumping off her shoulder and dusting himself off.

"My great-great-grandma taught me a few things by sending a few visions through my head," Roxie said. "She is really old and can only talk through this one annoying monkey dude. I've not seen her in such a long time. But I learned a few other things from taking a few lessons of karate in the past few months."

Daxter nodded and they walked on in search of precursors. They came up to another platform a few feet away from the cliff they were on. It had just rained so the thing was all slippery. Landing was important here.

"I guess you better hang on again," Roxie muttered while still staring at the metal platform. He climbed back onto her shoulder and hung on tight. He had learned from the zoomer chase with Erol that hanging on tight was a good thing.

Roxie closed her eyes and cleared her head. She was not that good with this action thing. Being chased by Erol on a zoomer was on her turf and she knew what to do. She was mostly fighting for her life. This was just something she had to do for some precursor crap. She knew she had to get used to it.

She ran and jumped into the air with great speed. She did a flip in the air and landed on her feet on the metal platform. She slid a few times and finally regained her balance. She gave a smile of triumph and did a little bow as if she had just preformed for a crowd.

"I give you a ten for that one," Daxter said and they both high-fived each other. "There is another precursor!" he said while pointing to a green bush to the side of the cliff they were on.

"Sharp eyes," Roxie said while walking up to the edge and leaning down to get the rock egg with different symbols on it. Before her hand touched the smooth surface of the precursor a claw shot out and scrapped across her arm.

With a yell of surprise and pain Roxie retracted her hand and watched as her hot blood dripped down her arm. She looked up and came face to face with a Metal Head. She could smell his breath beading down on her. She was frozen with fear.

"I'm guessing that would be a Metal Head," Daxter said from her side as he stared up at the monster before them. Roxie just nodded and backed up a little with frightful steps and the ground crunched under her boots.

The Metal Head growled at her and its lips curled up into an evil snarl. Roxie gulped and made no move. If it knew she was a threat it would attack her quickly and she could say bye-bye to her world. Someone had to distract the thing. Good thing Daxter already had the same idea.

"Why do I always have to be the distraction?" Daxter muttered under his breath and snuck off. He picked up a large rock and lifted it above his head. "Yo!" he yelled and the Metal Head snapped its head over to see him. "Get a life!" he said and chucked the rock at the Metal Head. It did not go too far and ended up landing right next to the monster and spraying sand into its face.

That was when Roxie struck. She took out three of her dice and threw them one by one at the creature. They blew up all around the Metal Head and blood flew into the air and Daxter got covered by it. The Metal Head slumped over dead in the sand and fresh blood pored out of its wounds. It was sickening sight to see.

"You okay?" Daxter asked while trying to get the gross blood off him with a disgusted look planted on his face.

Roxie glowed green and her scratch slowly vanished on her arm. "Just a little freaked, but fine," she answered while picking up the precursor. "Thanks for being the distraction, Dax."

"Next time you be it," Daxter said while catching a rag that Roxie threw down to him. "I can't believe I got to do all this just for some stupid map! I'm going to kill that guy when we get back. What is his name again?"

"Mod," Roxie said dryly. "And I hate the guy too. I asked for a job from him and all he did was tell me to address my elders properly. A lot of good it did me." She slipped the precursor into another loop next to her other one and smiled. "Let's go before more Metal Heads come." She collected her dice and put them back in her pack.

Daxter kept cleaning the blood off his fur with the rag. He walked next to his friend and they saw that they had to go onto another platform. But this time it rotated every few seconds. If they were not careful they could fall down when it turned. Daxter already knew to get on her shoulder.

Roxie said nothing and jumped onto the platform right after it turned. "Watch out!" Daxter yelled while pointing ahead. Roxie looked up and saw a Metal Head jump at her from the other side. She screamed and ducked to get out of the way. The Metal Head went over her and slammed into Daxter on her shoulder.

"Daxter!" she yelled and turned around on the platform. The thing under their feet twisted and Roxie, the Metal Head, and Daxter fell to the ground below. Roxie landed on her side in the wet sand and winced in the pain. Daxter fell on his back with the Metal Head on top of him. Spit dripped from its fangs and landed on Daxter's face. He did not care at the moment about the gross saliva on his face. He cared more about getting the monster off him.

"A little bit of help here!" Daxter yelled as he stared into the evil eyes of the Metal Head on top of him. It pulled back its claw and was ready for the kill. Dinner was coming early today!

A/N: Love cliffhangers! I'm sure the landscape of the pumping station was good. I had to go through the place to remember everything again. I have a really bad memory sometimes. More to come! Please give a review!


	7. Chapter 7 Underwater Metal Heads

A/N: School has started and I have had little time on the computer every weekend. This will be a short chapter because my dad has been bugging me to get off. I don't own anything from Jak2, but Roxie is my character and always mine! Please R&R!

Chapter 7

Roxie heard Daxter yell something to her and she looked up faintly. Her face was covered with sand and her eyes stung from it getting in her eyes. Daxter was about to get eaten by the Metal Head! She had to do something.

In a desperate attempt to save her friend, Roxie dug her hand into her pack on her belt and threw the dice at the Metal Head's butt. It exploded the creature's butt and sent him flying over Daxter with a helpless cry of pain. Roxie would have laughed at her aim, but this was no time for joking around.

Daxter got up quickly and watched as the Metal Head took its last breaths. It sucked in air fiercely and it looked over at Daxter. It then died and fell to the sand with a soft thump. Daxter took in a deep breath and let it slowly out. He turned around when he saw a flash of green from behind him.

Roxie got up slowly while breathing hard. She picked up her hat that had fallen off and put it on her head while glaring at the dead Metal Head. She got her dice back and this time put it in her jean pocket for a quick reach.

"That's it!" Daxter yelled loudly up to Roxie. "I already swore to never touch any precursor crap again! And I'm going to keep it. I'm not doing anymore searching for that Mod fellow today. We can find some other place!"

"Where is your spirit of adventure, Dax?" Roxie said with a sly smile. Daxter folded his arms in front of him and gave her a warning glare. He did not want to be messed with. A Metal Head almost ate him! He was not in a happy mood.

"I left it with Erol," Daxter said sharply and watched as Roxie walked over to the dead creature. "What the heck are you doing?!"

"I've heard that the Metal Head skulls are coming to be worth a ton," Roxie answered while looking over the Metal Head. She grabbed the smooth glowing rock in its forehead and gave it a hard tug. It popped out and she held it up to the sun peaking through the rain clouds above.

"So why did you not take the scull from the other one?" Daxter asked while putting his hands on his hips and watched her closely. He started to tap his foot impatiently.

"Because it was gross and bloody," Roxie answered while turning up her nose in disgust. "Would you like to go stick your paw into a Metal Head's forehead and pull a bloody skull out?"

It was Daxter's turn to look disgusted. "Don't even joke like that," he said and stuck his tongue out. "Now what are we going to do? I'm saying that I've been in enough adventure for one day. What do you think?"

Roxie thought about it and gave a heavy sigh of defeat. "Fine," she said while glancing around the clearing. "I change back to kid form any minute now. I would not want to be stuck out here being in my little form. Let's head back."

"I knew you would see it my way," Daxter said with a smile. Roxie rolled her eyes in response and started to follow Daxter out of the clearing. At the corner of her eye she saw something, though, and stopped. "Now what?" Daxter asked her.

Roxie did not answer. She slowly crept away and kept low to the ground. Her eyes were stuck onto something she saw in the water next to the clearing. Daxter watched her and tried to see what she kept her eyes on.

"Oh, c'mon, Roxie!" Daxter pleaded. "I know you're one of those people who laugh in the face of danger, but I'm not! No more adventure for today. We can come back tomorrow or something."

Roxie snapped her head back and glared at him. "Zip it!" she hissed and the royal confusion swept over Daxter's face, but he stayed quiet. She started to make her way to the edge of sand that went off into water. Daxter followed right behind her as he strained his eyes to see what she saw.

"I don't see anything," Daxter whispered to her as he looked down into the water.

"Me neither," Roxie answered. Daxter gave her an annoyed glare, but let her continue. "I saw a flash of light, though. Something has to be in the water."

"Let's pick options, shall we?" Daxter asked while folding his hands together and giving her a fake smile. "We have lurker sharks, things with big sharp teeth, lurker sharks, things with big sharp claws, and did I mention lurker sharks?"

"Don't be such a wimp," Roxie said with a smile. "I think it was a precursor shimmering light from the sun."

"So you're going to jump in the water to go get it?" Daxter asked sarcastically with a laugh. "You got to be crazy."

"I thought that I was already crazy?" Roxie asked her furry friend with a sly smile.

He looked up at her with wide eyes and said, "Oh, no! You're not leaving me out here on my own while you dive in there in search for some precursor that you 'thought' you saw!"

"Who said I'm leaving you here?" Roxie asked and grabbed him before he could protest. She dove into the water with a tiny splash and felt Daxter cling onto her shoulder for dear life. They both opened their eyes and saw the four precursors floating in the water.

Roxie came back up to the surface while Daxter gasped for some air. He had had no time to hold his breath because of Roxie pulling him in without warning. He let go of her shoulder and coughed some more before asking, "So are we going to get them?"

"You grab two and I'll grab two, got it?" she asked. "With four more we will have seven in all. It will be easy after this."

"Have it your way," Daxter said while rolling his eyes. "But we are heading home after this." She nodded and dove into the water again. Daxter was right behind her and looked very much like an otter while swimming swiftly through the water. He easily swam past her and grabbed two of the precursors. Roxie grabbed the other two and turned around in the water with Daxter.

Right in front of them was an under water Metal Head looking at them with evil eyes. (a/n: I know they don't live in the water at the pumping station, but this is two years before Jak comes into the picture. Things could have changed. And this is my story! I can do whatever I want!)

Terror flashed onto both faces as they stared up at the Metal Head hovering above them with its long tentacles floating lazily around it. Roxie and Daxter then split up quickly going opposite directions underwater. Roxie swam quickly to the surface and gasped for air. Daxter could stand a lot underwater and did not come up so quickly.

His fuzzy head broke the surface and he yelled, "It's coming for us!"

Something pulled on Roxie's leg and she felt some metal punch into her leg while smashing her bone into two. She screamed from the pain. "Give me your dice!" Daxter ordered and Roxie shoved him her blue dice. Quickly Daxter dove back underwater and made sure the dice touched his skin before dropping them down onto the Metal Head.

With a giant explosion the dice exploded and the grip on Roxie's leg released. A giant wave swept Roxie and Daxter to the shore and they both lay there on the sand coughing up water and trying to gain some air to their lungs.

Roxie winced and glowed green. Her giant cut vanished and she rested her head back on the soft sand. "That was a lot of fun," she said sarcastically and held up her two precursors and the ones Daxter had given to her while he had demanded for her dice that were now lost in the water. "Four precursors," she said with a smile.

"Yeah," Daxter said, "And for what price?! An arm or a leg?!"

"But we are still alive," Roxie countered. She saw her pirate hat wash up to shore and grabbed it while still laying down.

"When I get Jak free I'm heading home," Daxter said with a giant sigh, "Where guards don't patrol every corner, there are no such things called Metal Heads, and Lurkers are always evil!" Roxie just chuckled in response.

A/N: Sorry for short chapter. I hade little time on the computer. Please give a review!


	8. Chapter 8 Close Capture

A/N: sorry for not updating in a long time. I've had a tough time getting on the computer and this fan fiction is cool to write, but I've had so much Writer's Block for it lately. I'll try to give you another long chapter, but I'm not too sure how much I can type in this little bit of time. Sorry about not answering reviews. I'll try to do it next chapter. I don't own anything for Jak2. Please R&R.

Chapter 8

By the time Roxie and Daxter got done with their precursor hunting, night had fallen over Haven City. The sun was just beginning to fall and people started to head home after a long day of work. It was close to five. That was the time Roxie was dreading. A Krimson Guard would know who she was and who knows what would happen.

Roxie and Daxter walked down the wooden planks of the Water Slums on their ways to Roxie's house that was set deep in the Slums of Haven City. Roxie kept looking to her watch every so seconds to see how much time she had before she chanced into her little form.

The two were wet and cold. They were both worn out from the attacks of Metal Heads and Daxter's head was spinning to nowhere. How come he never knew what a Metal Head was? The thing mostly going around in his head "was where was he". The question was not getting answered so soon. He wanted Jak back. He wanted his home back. He wanted his boring life back. A deep sadness fell in his heart, but he did not show it at all.

For some reason Roxie felt his vibe even though he was not showing and said, "Do you think we can make it back before five?"

"If we ran," Daxter said with a teasing smile. They were both so worn out they could barely walk down the wooden bridges above the green water.

"Pass," she said while looking ahead again. Almost no one was on the wooden walkway. A few elves were scattered here and there and almost no Krimson Guards were around. Most of them avoided the place because of its smell.

"What did they do to this water?" Daxter asked while holding his nose from the smell. Roxie was used to it so it seemed like she did not smell a thing.

She shrugged and answered, "This is like the sewer of the town. I think they throw their trash in here too. But the sewers are underground the city and smell worse than this. Just don't fall into this stuff and you will smell clean."

"It smells like they peed in it too," Daxter muttered under his breath but for some reason Roxie could hear him and gave a chuckle. She had been to the sewers once before with her dad. It stunk ten times worse than this place.

"We are not going to make it back in time," Roxie said with a sigh. "What are we going to do?"

"It is not like a Krimson Guard is going to come after you," Daxter answered while looking up at Roxie. "And if he comes near you I'll bite him." That got a smile on her worried face and she just shook her head.

"I would like to see your tiny teeth get through all that red armor," Roxie said while quickening her pace after a quick look at her watch. She had around two minutes left.

"Are you calling me a wimp?" Daxter asked with a pretend horror.

Roxie opened her mouth to say something, but did not say anything because a Krimson Guard came up to them. The hair on the back of Roxie's neck started to rise and she glanced down to Daxter. His ears perked up to show that he was aware of the situation.

"Excuse me, miss," the guard said politely to Roxie while stopping in front of her. Instead of a gun in his hands he held a scroll of parchment paper. The gun was slung behind his back and not ready to be pulled out anytime soon. "Have you seen this little girl walking around?" he asked Roxie.

He held out the parchment paper to her and she had to hold in her gasp that leapt to her throat. Daxter could not see it because of how small he was, but already knew what it was before seeing it. The paper had a picture of Roxie in her small version. Now she was wanted big time.

"Well," Roxie said while scratching behind her neck with nervousness. "Not really."

The Krimson Guard cocked his head to the side with confusion and asked, "What do you mean 'not really'?"

Roxie shrugged her shoulders while cursing herself inside her head. "I think maybe I've seen her around, but I don't know her."

The Krimson Guard looked at her for a long time without saying anything as if he really wanted to say something else. "Sorry to bother your time then," he said while looking down to the ground. "And tell one of us when you see her at anytime," he added while Roxie tried to walk past him.

"Okay," Roxie said in a rush while quickly side stepping around him. He let her go with a little bit of hesitation. "I'll make sure to do that," she said while quickly walking away.

"Wait!" the guard yelled and Roxie stopped dead in her tracks. Daxter bumped into her leg at the sudden stop and glared up at her. The guard came running up to her and took out a collar and leash. "Pets must be under a leash anywhere in the city now because a pet bit Erol this morning. I thought it was quite funny, really." He gave a little chuckle and under his mask he smiled.

Roxie smiled a little and kept down a burst of laughter. Daxter snorted from where he was at her leg. The guard looked down at him with surprise and Daxter quickly acted like a pet.

"Well, here is the leash," the guard said and noticed a bead of sweat dripping down Roxie's forehead. He handed her the leash and she took it quickly. She bent down and slipped it around Daxter's neck. He gave Roxie a dirty look but she just gave him a teasing smile.

Roxie stood back up and was nose to nose with the guard. She took a step back from the surprise that he had not left yet. He studied her for a few seconds then asked, "Are you sure you're alright? You and your pet are soaked."

"My home is real close," Roxie said with a fake smile to the guard. _How come he is not leaving _she thought? "My mom can take care of me, and my pet will be fine."

"Good night then," the guard said and Roxie nodded. The guard was surprisingly polite to her. Most of the guards swore all the time and were extremely stupid. He walked away and Roxie started for the other direction as quickly as she could.

Then a white light started to spark out from her palms. "Oh, not now!" she muttered to herself. Daxter looked behind them to the guard. He did not seem to notice them anymore. He looked back up to Roxie and saw that she was using all her might to fight the transformation.

"Fight it, Roxie!" he whispered to her while yanking off the collar and leash. They now began to run. She finally stopped and let the transformation happen, and in a bright light exploding from her body, she turned back into the little form of cuteness.

They both looked behind them and saw the guard staring right at them stunned to do anything. He then came back into reality and shook his head in disbelief. He saw Roxie and Daxter take off and knew it was not just his mind playing tricks on him.

"Someone stop her!" he shouted while dropping the parchment paper in the green water. He yanked his gun off his shoulder and ran after Roxie in a sprint to catch up with her. "I can't believe this!" he yelled to himself while keeping his eyes locked on the girl ahead of him.

"Run faster!" Daxter yelled to Roxie. The guard was gaining speed fast and it would be sooner than later when he caught up with them.

"_I am!"_ came a voice in his head and Daxter stole a look to his friend. She was looking straight ahead. Daxter just shook the idea out of his head. He thought maybe he was just imagining that Roxie had spoken to him without putting her hand on his head.

Roxie looked behind her to see the guard coming up to them quickly. He took long strides in his sprint toward them. He would soon get them both. Now she was really hoping Daxter could bite him.

The guard saw it before Roxie did. It was a step down on the wooden bridge. If she was not careful she could fall right into the water. The guard wanted to capture her but not make her drown. Erol would kill him if that happened.

"Watch out!" he yelled as loud as he could to the girl and she looked ahead just in time to see the step. With a short scream Roxie fell over it and rolled over the edge.

"Roxie!" Daxter yelled while diving toward her. He caught her outstretched hand and was almost yanked into the green water himself by the pull of weight. With both paws Daxter pulled on Roxie with all his might. In his head the words kept repeating saying, _"I can't swim in this form!"_ But they were not his words. Something was going on here.

"Hang on!" the guard yelled and Daxter panicked. The guard had a voice going through his head saying that she could not swim. It was very strange to him, but he shook it off. He jumped down the step and grabbed onto Daxter's tail.

"Don't touch me!" Daxter snapped out while kicking the guard in the chin with a foot. The guard got hit hard and winced as the pain went through his nose that got hit by the foot. Daxter shot a warning glare to the guard and pulled Roxie all the way up.

The guard then got hard and grabbed Daxter and Roxie by the back of their necks. Daxter yelled out of surprise and Roxie tried to kick him. The cuteness was a ball of fire in his hands. Daxter wiggled in the guard's hands as he tried to get free.

"Let us go, you creep!" Daxter yelled at the top of his lungs.

"How did you change?" the guard asked Roxie while ignoring Daxter. Roxie looked at the guard and spit into his face to show her answer. The guard gave a heavy sigh of frustration and said, "If you will not talk now I know how the Barron will make you."

"Why do you want us?" Daxter asked while still trying to get free from the grip on the back of his neck. "We have done nothing."

"Look, fur ball," the guard said while shaking Daxter in a wild way. Daxter's teeth chattered as he was roughly shaken around. "I have no idea why they want you, but my uncle is putting up a ton of money for your capture."

"Capture?!" Daxter yelled in surprise.

"Shut it!" the guard snapped out at him. "I'm taking you to the palace right away."

Daxter looked up at him with a dirty look. Daxter opened his mouth and sunk his teeth into the guard's hand that was holding him. The guard yelled out of pain that was shooting through his hand. He dropped Daxter by mistake and the animal dropped to the floor with a thump.

"Get back here, rat!" the guard yelled as he tried to grab Daxter with one hand. The guard jerked around Roxie as he tried to catch Daxter who was going around his feet.

"Heads up!" came a voice from ahead of them. The guard looked up to see a guy on a zoomer flying right for him. The guard had no time to react and the guy grabbed Roxie out of the guard's hand in one swift movement.

Roxie looked into the eyes of her dad and she saw worry in them. He placed her in front of him and she hung onto the handlebars with her dad on the zoomer. "Don't ever make me worry like that again," Vox said to her as he turned the zoomer around.

"Oh yeah," Daxter yelled sarcastically up at them as he saw the zoomer fly away from him and the guard. "I'll be fine alone!"

The guard looked down at him for a few seconds while Daxter looked up at him in silence. Daxter got ready for the guard to come after him, but the guard just stood there watching the zoomer turn around and head back toward them.

"Underground," the guard muttered with a heavy sigh. "I wish..." he never got to finish his sentence because the zoomer was coming right towards him. The guard let out a surprised cry and jumped to the side of the wooden platform and into the water below.

Vox grabbed Daxter up and let him cling onto his shoulder as they drove off. "We are not out of trouble yet," he said to Daxter and Roxie. "You hang onto my shoulder, Daxter. Roxie, you hang onto me at all times till we get home." Daxter and Roxie nodded. Vox felt Daxter's paws squeeze harder onto his shoulder.

"Halt!" a Krimson Guard yelled to them, and when he saw the zoomer make no move to stop he yelled, "Get them!" Guards started to pore out of nowhere and started to shoot at the zoomer. Daxter had to duck to not get hit by a laser flying by his head.

After a few minutes Vox lost the guards and headed for their home. He jumped off and Roxie clung onto his stomach for dear life. She dug her little head into his chest and held back tears of fear. Daxter relaxed on Vox's shoulder and let out a relieved sigh.

Vox went through the door and Meg came rushing up to them and hugged Roxie tight. Daxter jumped off Vox's shoulder and landed on the ground. He watched as the small family hugged each other.

"I'm so glad you're not hurt, dear," Meg said to Roxie as she kissed her on the cheek. Vox put Roxie back down on the floor beside Daxter and gave the creature a nod. Daxter just crossed his arms in front of him and gave Vox a proud smile.

"Let's all sit down for dinner," Vox said while giving Roxie a warm smile. "And we got a surprise for our little girl." Roxie's face broke into a wide smile and she skipped to her seat with happiness. They all sat down at the table and Meg served them all yak cow soup.

"So what is this big surprise?" Daxter asked right before he dug into his long awaited soup. The steam lingered around the bowl and the meat was nice and juicy.

"Okay, Roxie, we know you have been down for a long time ever since that one day at school two years ago," Meg said slowly and Roxie nodded while sharing eye contact with Daxter. He shrugged his shoulders and started to slurp on his soup.

"So we are sending you to school again," Vox said in a rush of words. Daxter choked on his soup and started to cough. Vox looked over to him annoyed while Meg looked a bit concerned about her daughter's friend. Roxie gave him a look to quit coughing and he drunk some of his water.

"Sorry about that," Daxter said while clearing his throat. "I thought you said you were going to send her back to school."

"That is what I said," Vox said sternly. Daxter looked back and forth from Roxie to Vox.

"Let me explain, sweetie," Meg started while sitting down in her seat. "You will go to the school from five in the morning till around eleven in the morning. It is a very strict school that is very good with someone...like you."

"_What?!"_ a voice yelled loudly in Daxter's head. What was so strange was that it was not his. Daxter winced from the loud yell in his head as his ears started to ring. He looked up to see that no one had noticed him. He started to sip on his soup as he listened carefully to what Meg had to say.

"But what about the Krimson Guards after her just a few minutes ago?" Daxter asked as Meg went on about how everything would go in the school Roxie was going to. "They said they wanted Roxie for some reason. What if they find out where she is?"

Vox and Meg shared worried looks and Roxie mouthed a "thank you" to Daxter. He could tell she did not want to go to school. "Don't worry about the guards," Vox said. "The school is private and I don't think they give out information about the students to the Barron. He will not know you are going to this school."

Daxter frowned and looked down into his bowl that was almost empty by now. He really had been hungry. He lifted his eyes up and saw that Roxie was not eating at all. She had this dread on her tiny face as she mixed her soup around with a spoon. She did not want to go to school again for some reason.

"Don't worry, Roxie," Vox said while giving her a warm smile. "You will meet new friends and I'm sure you will learn how to talk. You will be like the other kids again."

Roxie nodded silently and Daxter saw a few fuzzy images in his head. He shook his head and a confused expression swept over his face. He looked up to Roxie again and she shared the same confused expression. Something strange was going on in both their heads.

A/N: So we have four situations going around here. One is that Roxie is going back to school but for some reason she does not want to again. Two, Daxter keeps having these words go around in his head and images. Three, they still need some precursors for a map to rescue Jak. And four, Krimson Guards are now looking for Roxie and she is wanted. Some things will be solved in the next chapter. Some will not get solved till later on. Please give a review!


	9. Chapter 9 Evil Teacher

A/N: First day of school always sucks. It sucks even more for Roxie in this fan fiction. And this fan fiction is going to be long. So they will not rescue Jak till the very end or so. And I'm putting the rating up because of the some of the swearing and because more action stuff coming up. It is only like a low PG-13 because I want to be on the safe side. I don't own anything for Jak2. Please R&R.

WRTD: I love that idea! It will make a very funny chapter in here. But I can't put it up till later on. And lay off the sweets. You were like in super hyper cheerleader mode or something in the review. I thought it was kind of funny, though. But thanks for the review! It was great! And when does Jak3 come out? I got to know!

Chapter 9

"Why will you not talk to me?" Daxter asked Roxie as he quickened his pace to catch up with her. She snapped her head around and glared daggers at him. Daxter backed away from her fierce stare and raised his hands up in defense. She kept walking on while clutching her books to her chest.

Daxter have a heavy sigh of frustration and ran to catch up again with her. It would be easy to lose her because it was still dark outside and a mist rose from the ground. Everywhere you looked was a black fog that swirled around at your feet.

Daxter pulled up beside the little form of Roxie and thought of something to say. Roxie pulled out a little Frisbee that fit into the palm of her hand. She pressed one button on the top with her thumb and it went into life. A holographic layout of Haven City showed up and her dad had programmed it to show her where the school was.

"Wow," Daxter said as he looked closely at it. "I've never seen one of those before." Roxie just gave him a look and turned the way the map told her to go. "What?" he asked and she just walked away. Daxter ran to catch up with her again. He thought it was too early to be running all over town. It was five in the morning.

"Just get out all your anger," Daxter said jokingly to Roxie as he ran ahead of her and walked backwards to keep talking. "It might make you feel good."

Roxie snapped out her fingers and touched his forehead and yelled, "FINE!" They both stopped as Roxie yelled in his head. "I don't want to go to school for lots of reasons. But one is that I don't belong there. Face it, Daxter. I'm a freak!"

"Aw," Daxter said while patting her on the head. "I don't think you're a freak."

"I'm talking to you through your head for God's sake!" Roxie yelled and Daxter winced as the yell echoed through his head.

"Okay," Daxter said slowly. "Maybe you are kind of sort of one, but it is not that bad. You're cool this way."

"Maybe to you!" Roxie snapped back. "That is because you know I can change and you've seen my past. But I don't want to have to go share my past to others just for them to become friends with me."

"But you had lots of friends when you used to go to school right?" Daxter asked.

"That is it, Daxter," Roxie said through his head. "I don't remember ANYTHING before my blackout!"

"Huh?" Daxter asked while giving her a confused look. "But you know this kid. And you know your parents. Just explain. Don't make me more confused."

"I only have tiny visions about them so I know they are my parents," Roxie said. "And I know this kid is my friend because as you saw in that vision that I was talking to him. I don't even know his name." Roxie looked to the ground and fell silent.

"I'm sorry, kid," Daxter said while patting her on the shoulder. "I should be somebody who listens to people. I got you to calm down real fast by listening to you. I could make a busyness out of it!"

Roxie rolled her eyes and started to follow the map to her school. She was dreading it.

* * *

"Sit," the teacher told Roxie with a deathly tone to her voice. Roxie gulped a large lump in her throat and sat down quickly. The teacher looked down at the tiny Roxie with her cold black eyes. Her tiny lips were firmly pressed together. She was a skinny old woman with long gray hair put into a tiny bun on the top of her head. She was only skin and bones.

"You will soon understand the ways of this school, miss Roxie," the teacher said to her with her rough voice. She wore a long black dress and held a switch in her hands. Her big black boots flapped around her bony legs as she walked to the front of the classroom. She seemed to be looking directly at every poor little kid in the room. It was dead silent.

"You don't talk unless I ask you and you will address me as Master," the teacher went on as she circled the class. The switch was a deadly weapon in her tiny frail hands. "Is that clear?" the teacher asked and Roxie nodded.

"You will follow my plans with no questioning," she went on. "No daydreaming, fiddling, tapping of pens, talking to people next to you, or eating. Any of these things are done then it will end up as five smacks with the switch. Is that clear?" Roxie swallowed hard again and nodded. Her eyes were wide with fear. She wondered why her parents were making her go here. This was hell.

She went through most of the day being a perfect student, but not even she could stay still for too long. She started to daydream even though that was the first thing on the "Master's" list of don'ts. She could not wait to change into her teen form and go precursor hunting with Daxter. She could not wait to be talking again to her only friend.

"Miss Roxie!" the teacher shouted and the whole room fell dead silent again. All eyes were on her, wide eyes that showed fear. Roxie looked to the teacher and her eyes bore down on her.

"Stand," the teacher said. "Go to the front of the class!" Roxie got up and took her punishment like a brave worrier. She got to the front of the class and looked up to her teacher. "Hold onto my desk," she commanded and Roxie took in a deep breath. She held onto the desk with her tiny hands and did not look up to see what was coming. She knew it would not be good.

The teacher slung her switch back and slapped it hardly onto Roxie's fingers. A stinging pain shoot through her whole hands as she got smacked. The sound echoed through the room. Roxie clenched her teeth and bore the pain. Later she could cry over it. Plus, it was over and it was not that bad.

Then the teacher came down again harder than before. Roxie then remembered she had to have five. She bit her lower lip in determination to not show her pain. A red mark started to form on her knuckles. The teacher drew back and Roxie winced a little. Her mind prepared for the pain.

The pain was almost unbearable the third time around. Her knuckles were so red they looked like lobsters. Roxie fought back tears. The 4th and 5th smack was all a painful blur to her. She did not cry but the hurt was tremendous. Her knuckles were red and puffy and she could not bend them. She sat back down at her desk and listened the whole remaining time of class.

The bell rang and she rushed out of class and down the stairs. She flew out the door and went two by two down the steps to the ground. She looked over to a tree and saw the ball of orange in the tree sleeping soundly. She rushed over to the tree and climbed up to the branch Daxter was on.

Roxie shook the branch and Daxter woke up groggy and yawned. He looked over to her and asked, "What time is it?"

She was about to pour out every single detail about her horrible day, but knew he would just ask what was for dinner. So she just looked at him flatly and climbed down to the ground. He jumped down and landed on her back. He slid off her back and yawned again.

"Nice morning," he said while walking with her. "What is for dinner?"

Roxie rolled her eyes and on the inside laughed. She shrugged in response and kept walking away from the school in a hurry. She did not want to stick around to see her teacher come out. She gripped her books tighter and quickened her pace again.

"Whoa, hang on there, fire ball!" Daxter called as he was left in the dust. He ran to catch up and again thought it was just wrong to be running right after a nap. "Are you going to tell me about your day? You know you want to." He then nudged her with an elbow and made his eyebrows go up and down. She rolled her eyes again and shook her head.

"So you're not going to tell me?" Daxter asked while purposely bumping into someone. The woman dropped her coin money and he winked to Roxie. "I'm so sorry," he said while helping the woman with picking up her money. He dropped they money into the lady's bag and she said a thank you to him. But she did not see him wave his hand around with the last coin and slip it into his glove instead of dropping it.

He walked off and slipped the coin back out with a proud smile. Roxie stared at him stunned to do anything. "Want something to eat?" he asked with one of his goofy smiles.

She shook her head no and put her nose into the air. He raced over to a stand and paid for a blue apple. He came back up to Roxie and walked beside her while chomping loudly on his blue apple. She glanced over to him and saw that he was thinking about something.

"You're real stubborn, you know that?" he said while pointing to her with a finger that had been holding onto the apple. "But fine," he said while chewing on his fruit at the same time. Roxie thought it was impossible to be with him while he ate. "I'll not ask for information anymore. But I got a big surprise for you! You will not believe it!"

Roxie raised one eyebrow as she heard this and looked over to him. He was already done with his snack. She now wished she had joined him because she was starving. He nodded to her and said, "Let me lead the way." She shrugged and followed him.

Roxie's class had gotten out around 20 minutes late, so by the time they were arriving at the destination Roxie was due at anytime to change into her teen form. She had to hide somewhere while her transformation took place.

"Finally!" she breathed as she came out of a dark corner and into the light. "I really like talking." Daxter looked up at her with his hands on his hips and a funny smile spread across his face.

"I think you're right," he said while walking away. "You are crazy."

"Wait," Roxie said as she looked around. "I know this place. That Mod guy lives close around here."

"Now you're catching on," Daxter said over his shoulder. "I met him this morning while you were at school and we made a deal."

"Oh no," Roxie muttered teasingly. Daxter snapped her a stern look and she gave him a smile. "What kind of deal?" she asked while looking ahead to see the tiny purple tent. A few musical notes were coming out of it like someone was playing a flute.

"Just try to catch on," Daxter said with a wicked smile. They stepped through the beads for the door of the tent. Mod sat on his desk with a tiny bamboo flute in his hands. He played a lively song while his little pink Morph flew around him and looked like he was trying to dance.

Roxie had never seen him like this. He looked up when they came in and lowered the flute. "I see you are here, miss Roxie," he said and he watched as his tiny Morph flew over to the girl and started to lick her face with his big red tongue. She giggled and held him in her hands. Daxter noticed that her knuckles were a bit red but said nothing.

"You know she must agree to this for it to work?" Mod asked Daxter while looking down at him.

"Yeah, I know," Daxter said with a smug smile on his face. "Just tell her what you told me."

Mod nodded and cleared his throat before speaking to Roxie. "Mr. Daxter here and I have made a deal for a good map on the palace." Roxie smiled down at Daxter and nodded for him to go on. "I've been looking for exotic birds all around the world as you can see from this tent."

Roxie looked around one more time and looked at all the little birds in the cages hanging around the top of the purple tent. They all looked happy and calm. They all had bright colorful feathers and some even sparkled of the dime light of the tent. Roxie nodded and turned around again to face Mod.

"You give me the precursors you have now and find and catch this one bird I want and I'll give you a good detailed map on the palace. You will find your friend in no time," Mod said with a nod.

"There has to be a catch," Roxie said while putting her hands on her hips and looking at Mod with a skeptical look. "No pun intended." Daxter chuckled.

Mod gave a sigh and smiled a little as Morph flew over to him and licked his chin playfully. "The bird is very shy and got blown away from its home in a storm. It does not know where to go and is stuck in Dead Town. I've tried to capture him but..."

"But you're too old?" Daxter asked loudly and a little too boldly. Roxie hid a smile under her hand and Mod frowned.

"I need someone with more spunk and knows the place well," Mod answered while giving Daxter a stern look over his tiny reading glasses. "So will you go catch it for me?"

"If you give me the stuff I need to catch it, I will," Roxie said while getting a reassuring nod from Daxter.

Mod chuckled a little and said, "Splendid! Here is a net, wooden cage, picture of it with some facts you might want to read, and a holographic map of Dead Town. Have fun!" He handed all the stuff to Roxie and Daxter and they looked at him with wide eyes. "And take Morph along for the heck of it. He might just be useful to you."

Daxter held the net and parchment paper with both hands and looked up at Mod and asked, "Have fun? Is that a joke?" He bated away Morph with a free hand and tried to make the pink blob go away.

"Trust me, my good friend," Mod said with a smile. "If it was a joke I would have laughed. Do you see me laughing?"

"No," Daxter said flatly and gave a heavy sigh. Roxie held the cage in one hand and in the palm of the other was the map. Morph buzzed around her head at a dizzy speed and she was starting to get a headache.

"And play this," Mod said at the last minute. He threw the bamboo flute into the air and Roxie missed it. Daxter slid under it and caught the flute with his teeth. "Good catch," Mod said with a proud smile. Daxter rolled his eyes and tried to get the thing out of his mouth.

"It will attract the bird," Mod said then added, "And please don't scare it."

"Don't worry," Roxie said with venom in her voice. "We won't." She gave him a wicked smile and slowly walked out with the load of stuff in her hands. Morph followed after changing into a mini Roxie and saying in a squeaky voice, "We won't!"

"Are you sure this deal is going to work?" Roxie asked Daxter. All she got of a response was some muffled sentences. She looked down and saw that Daxter still had the flute in his mouth. She giggled and bent down to take it for him.

"That thing tastes disgusting," Daxter declared instead of a thank you.

"What?" Roxie asked. "Were you chewing on it?"

"Funny," Daxter said flatly. "You go stick that thing in your mouth."

"Not after you infected it with your animal spit!" Roxie yelled while wrinkling up her nose.

"Animal spit is a lot better than human spit, you know?" Daxter pointed out. Morph giggled and then started to hum while flying around them. He acted very much like a dog. Only this dog could change form and mimic people's words.

"Well guess what, genius?" Roxie said. "I'm an elf!" Daxter sighed in defeat and kept walking next to Roxie with the load of stuff in his hands. Roxie just smiled.

A/N: The school was real bad, I know. And I'm trying to put Daxter in character, but it is getting kind of hard to. I hope in the next chapter I will put him more in character. They are going to go bird hunting! This should be fun! Please give a review!


	10. Chapter 10 Bird Catching

A/N: I'm sorry for the long time of not updating. I got writer's block for a few days or so and then the computer was being evil so I could not update stuff till just now. Don't own anything for Jak2. Please R&R.

Chapter 10

"Okay," Roxie said while fumbling with the stuff in her hands. "I'm now starving. I got to get something to eat before we go to Dead Town." She stopped and looked around for any kind of stand selling food.

"Want me to pit pocket anyone?" Daxter said with a sneaky smile.

Roxie glared down at him and said, "No! I can pay for my own." Daxter shrugged and watched as she went over to a stand and bought a roll of bread. She tossed the flute over to Daxter again and he had no room left in his arms, so he had to catch it again with his teeth. He muttered a sarcastic thanks to her and she just gave him an evil smile.

They walked for a long time till they finally got to the Slums and found the doorway to Dead Town. As the door's bolts slid away, the two shuffled their stuff in their hands. Roxie told Daxter to hold everything while she caught the bird.

"That is not fair!" Daxter protested loudly as they walked through the round metal room to the other door. The door behind them closed and with a slight hesitation the other one opened up for the two to enter into Dead Town.

"Yeah, it is fair, Dax," Roxie said while grabbing the net away from him. He gave her a dirty look and looked ahead. (a/n: I don't remember much of the place and I'm saying that lots of it is different because if it was that easy to destroy one big building with one flag pole then it could change just as easy in two years of time.)

"Why do they call it Dead Town?" Daxter asked with a worried expression coming to his face. His paws sunk slightly as he walked over the soft mud with the stuff in his tiny hands. Roxie was looking around and her boots made a squishing sound when she walked over the mud.

"I don't know really," Roxie said with a shrug. "I don't remember anything after my blackout, remember?"

"Oh," Daxter answered quietly. They silently walked over to the edge of mud and could see the greenish waters. A few floating wood pieces went one way to another piece of mud land, and a tangle of vines and such made a swamp to their left. A mist was in the air and the smell of everything was ominous.

"Okay," Daxter said quickly while turning around, "I don't see the bird so lets break the bad news to Mod and get our butts out of here!" He started to run away but Roxie shot a foot out and stepped on Daxter's tail to keep him from leaving.

"We got a job to do!" she snapped to him while giving the animal a stern look. "Now stop being a big baby and help me find this bird."

"Job to do!" Morph cheered with his squeaky voice. He flew around Roxie's head while doing a dance of some sort. But they could not tell because what did a pink blob dancing look like?

"That is really going to bug me," Daxter said after a long silence. Roxie gave a sigh and rolled her eyes in frustration. "Okay, lets get this over with then," Daxter said with a heavy sigh of defeat. "But I'm not going to play the flute thing. Old Greenie tried to make me play one once and I did not go too far with it."

"Who is Old Greenie?" Roxie asked confused.

"The Green Sage," Daxter answered. "He is good with green ego. Wish I listened more about what he said now. It would come in handy now that I met you."

"You don't mean that," Roxie said blankly. "You're just being nice."

Daxter shot her an evil look and said, "You're right. But I wasn't being nice. It was just something to say."

"Right," Roxie said with a teasing smile. "Let's go softy."

Daxter looked up at her and said quickly, "Shut up." Her smile grew and she tried to keep from laughing. She put the net down on the ground and took the flute from Daxter. She rested it right at her lips and blew.

A sweet sound came out of the flute and it echoed around the big area. Roxie quickly picked up the notes and made up a little song of her own that did not sound that bad for a first timer. Morph danced around her doing his little dance again. Roxie went on till she saw a bird fly above them and land somewhere in the swamp vines next tot them.

"I think it went in there," Roxie whispered while giving Daxter the flute back and picked up the net. "Come on!"

Daxter watched her walk up to the tangle of vines and gave another sigh. "Fine!" he whispered harshly to her and followed loudly behind. She snapped her head around when he stepped on a twig and snapped it. Her look told him to be quiet. Daxter just shrugged his shoulders and Roxie rolled her eyes while turning back to the vines.

"Watch your step," she warned while slowly sinking her boot into the green water. The water went up to her ankle and it was hard to walk in because the mud on the bottom of the swamp was so sticky her boot kept getting sucked into it. She would have to pull real hard to get it out and step farther into the swamp.

"Do you see it?" she asked Daxter while stopping at one spot and pointing above her to a bird sitting on a bunch of vines without spikes on them. It was around the size of a crow with dark purple feathers that sparkled even though there was no sunlight to reflect off of. It was a breathtaking sight and Roxie now knew why Mod loved his many birds.

"Roxie!" Daxter whispered loudly in a frantic matter.

"Don't tell me you're hungry, Daxter," Roxie said over her shoulder while still looking at the bird up above. "If I climb this vine I can get right to the bird. Now just keep quiet till I get it. This will be a piece of cake."

"Roxie!" Daxter said louder this time. "Help!"

"What?!" almost shouted while turning around with anger burning in her eyes.

"I'm sinking!" Daxter yelled in panic. Roxie's anger quickly vanished as she saw her friend quickly sinking into the mud. The only thing above it was his one hand and half his body.

"Hang on," Roxie said while running over to him. She lifted a foot up but soon discovered her two feet were stuck in the mud too. She let out a short scream of surprise as her body tipped forward and she did a face plant into the water and mud with a splash.

She regained composure and got up and sat on her butt. She pulled hard on her boots for a few minutes and finally got both feet out of the mud. She looked up and saw that Daxter making little progress and had only got his neck out of the mud. She ran over to him and saw that he was not in mud. He was in quick sand!

"I can't get you out from here, Dax," she said in a rush while looking around to find something to pull him up with.

"That is really reassuring," Daxter said while giving her a mean look. "Just get me out of here!"

"I'm working on it, hairball," Roxie said while taking out one of her dice from her pocket. "If I'm right this will work perfectly. I throw my dice at the quicksand and when it blows up a wave will push you to the other side so you can get out."

"What if the wave goes over me?" Daxter asked with panic as he looked wildly up at her.

Roxie was about to throw her dice when she registered what Daxter just said. She stopped and bit her lower lip. "Maybe that was a bad idea," she said while scanning around for anything to help her. She kept her feet walking so she would not get stuck in the mud again.

"You think?!" Daxter yelled loudly and Roxie could see that he was sinking real fast. With his free hand he tried to grab a vine way above. That was when she got a good idea and put her dice back in her pocket.

"Okay, I got it," she said while walking away from Daxter. He looked over to her and saw that she was leaving and freaked out.

"You can't leave me!" he shouted franticly. "Get your butt over here!" Then Roxie disappeared into the mist. "Uh..." Daxter looked around for any sign of her. "Please get your butt over here."

He then heard some running and saw Roxie sprinting towards him. She jumped right at the quicksand edge and grabbed a vine while soaring into the air. She wrapped her hand tightly around the think vine and swung around back down for Daxter.

Daxter took a deep breath right before the sand pulled him under. He put his life into Roxie's hands as he kept his one free hand up above the quicksand. Roxie flew down to him and leaned down while still in the air. She grabbed his hand and hung tightly to his wrist. The momentum of the swinging vine and Roxie's pulling got Daxter out of the sand and she flung him to the edge of the quicksand and landed beside him after jumping off the vine.

Daxter coughed up whatever was in the quicksand and gasped for air. His fur was a big mud pit that stunk so bad he had to hold his nose. Roxie bent next to him while holding her nose too.

"Where would you be without me, Dax?" she asked with a smile as he looked up at her.

"Without you, Roxie," Daxter said calmly, "I would not be walking around this swamp and not stinking like left over fish. This is a serious, concerning the lady factor."

"I think any girl would like you," Roxie said with a sweet and sour smile to her friend.

"You don't mean that," Daxter said blankly to her, "You're just being nice."

"Yeah," Roxie said while giving him an evil look. She fiddled with the goggles around her neck and added, "But I was being nice...in a mean, sarcastic kind of way."

"I feel so loved," Daxter said while picking up the net Roxie had dropped. "Now help me with this junk." He started to pick up the stuff he had dropped when he fell into the quicksand.

"Wait!" Roxie whispered while looking behind her shoulder. "Gut your fuzzy, yet stinking butt over here!" Daxter gave her a sideways look and she then said in a loud whisper, "Now!" That kicked him into high gear and he dropped his stuff and ran to where she was now hiding behind a tangle of large vines with leaves on them. That was when he heard voices.

"Hurry up, Merlander," said a voice that Roxie and Daxter knew belonged to Erol. "You've been avoiding me for weeks now," Erol was saying. "What is up with you?"

"Who is he talking to?" Daxter whispered to Roxie as he saw two figures form up in the mist.

Roxie shushed him and pulled away a few leaves of the vine away to see Erol and the other guy come up. She spotted the other figure and saw that it was the same guy from the docks the other day. He had his Krimson Guard helmet off and held it on his hip while following Erol.

"I've just been busy," the guy said. He looked to be around two years older than Roxie. He had short spiky blond hair and purple eyes that had a light in them that Roxie liked in him. There was something different between Erol and this guy.

Daxter tapped Roxie on the shoulder and pointed up. She looked up and saw the bird they were after cleaning itself on top of the tangle of vines. Then Daxter pointed to the other side of the quicksand and shook his head. Where he was pointing Morph was flying around and blowing bubbles out of his mouth for his own pleasure. Erol and the Krimson Guard were coming up. They were sure to see Morph if Roxie or Daxter did not do something.

"Now watch the master work," Daxter said with a sly smile and grabbed onto a vine and pulled himself up. "I'll get Morph," he whispered down to her. He looked up and then another thing popped into his head and he said back down to her, "And please, don't do anything...stupid!" She gave him a dirty look and he returned it with a smile then disappeared in the mess of vines.

Erol and the other guy came up and saw the net on the ground and a confused expression swept over each face. "What is this?" the Krimson Guard asked while bending down and picking up the net.

"Forget it, Merlander," Erol spat out and knocked the net out of his buddy's hands. "Just give me a good reason why you've been avoiding me and I'll let you check all this stuff out."

"Fine," Merlander said while his eyes narrowed at Erol. "I'll tell you."

A/N: Love ending it at cliffhangers! Please give a review!


	11. Chapter 11 Merlander

A/N: I got my system down straight and now you should see a chapter in this fan fiction at least once a week because I'm working hard on it in my study hall everyday. I don't own anything from Jak2. The only thing I own is Roxie and Merlander. Please R&R.

WRTD: Yes. Merlander will be in this fic a lot for now on. I'm not sure about romance, though. And I'm making it so that Roxie does not go out with Erol. She goes out with another guy later on in the fic. But thanks for the idea and for reviewing.

Chapter 11

Before Merlander had a chance to tell Erol why he was avoiding him so much, Daxter placed his foot wrong on the vine he was holding onto and fell. He grabbed another vine before he hit the ground and clung onto it like his life depended on it. The two guys looked up when they heard some noise and saw leaves fall and Roxie held her breath. She had to do something!

Roxie clinched her teeth together and straightened the hat on her head as her mind made up what to do. She got up slowly and started to climb a vine. It was slow moving because she did not want Erol or Merlander to see or hear her.

Daxter swore under his breath and started to slide down the vine to where Morph had turned into a red flower of some kind in a dangerous game of hid-and-go-seek. Daxter saw that the two were not looking his way and he let go of the vine with his hands, but still had a grip with his feet.

Roxie saw that Daxter was fine from where she was a few feet above the ground. She was out of earshot with the two guys, but she was not caring about them now. She had her eyes set on the bird above her head.

Daxter hung upside down and reached out with his hand for Morph. He grabbed the little shape shifter and quickly flew back up the vine with Morph firmly in his hands. He got back down to where Roxie and him had first been and Daxter soon realized Roxie was doing the thing he mostly told her not to do.

Roxie was doing something stupid.

"Don't tell me you're part of the Underground," Erol said to Merlander.

"What do you got against them?" Merlander asked with a hint of annoyance to his voice.

"They are like the big enemy to Baron Praxis!" Erol said while a fire of anger flew up in his eyes. "What do you have against the Baron?"

"Nothing!" Merlander shouted. "I just look at it on both sides. The Underground just wants a better Baron. Praxis is not stupid, but he is not fighting the Metal Heads very well right now."

There was a long silence between the two. Merlander kept his eyes down while Erol burned with anger. These two used to be friends. Was some simple war breaking the two apart? Was this war really that small? Were the two way too deep to get out?"

"So you are part of the Underground," Erol said with disgust and he spat the word "Underground" out like it was some gross bug in his mouth.

Merlander looked up with surprise and said, "No! I'm just confused now, that is all. I don't know what side to pick."

"If the Baron wasn't your uncle it would be easy to pick a side," Erol retorted.

"This is not about him!" Merlander yelled. "This is only about what I believe. Leave my uncle out of it!"

Daxter was not paying one ounce of attention to the two on the ground fighting. He had his eyes on Roxie way above his head inches away from getting her prize. Morph changed back to his real form and looked up with Daxter to Roxie and the bird.

Roxie blocked out the world around her. The only thing going around in her head was catching the bird. She was the little 8-year-old in her head and was not thinking like the teen she looked like.

She reached out her hand as slowly as she could and her tongue stoke out of her mouth in determination. A slight wind blew up and Roxie held on tight as it went past her. She did not want to fall this high up.

Roxie knew it was now or never. She snapped her hand out like a frog's tongue catching a fly, and she grabbed hold of the bird. Her quick move broke the branch she was on, and with a short scream of surprise she fell to the ground right in front of Erol and Merlander.

Daxter winced as he saw Roxie sitting on her butt with her eyes wide with surprise. The bird was still in her hands putting up a squawking fit over the whole thing. Daxter went into action and ran out of the vines he was behind and scooped up the wooden cage at Merlander's feet. He grabbed the bird from Roxie's hands and shoved it into the cage with a yell of triumph.

"That's the girl I was talking about!" Merlander said with a touch of glee to his voice. Maybe now Erol would believe him about the story he told him about a teen turning into the little girl they were after.

Erol stared at Roxie with his jaw dropped to the floor of the swamp. A ton of questions zipped through his head. Now that he saw her he could swear he saw her before.

"Wait!" Erol said. "You're the girl from the day before when your pet bit me!"

"Oh...gosh darn it!" Roxie said with a load of sarcasm to her voice. "I guess I'm busted." Daxter chuckled and set the cage on the floor to lend Roxie a hand. She stood up and wrinkled her nose at seeing her pants with a big mud stain.

"She turned into that girl we are after," Merlander said while pointing to Roxie and looking at Erol.

"It is rude to point, you know?" Roxie said while dusting herself off and whipping away the mud on her face with a rag from her pack on her belt. She stopped when she realized it was the same rag that Daxter cleaned himself off when he got covered with Metal Head blood.

"So now you're lying to me," Erol said to his friend while looking back and forth from Roxie to Merlander.

"No! I'm serious!" Merlander pleaded. "I saw her change into a little form that looked just like the girl we are after. And she still has that annoying talking pet from then too."

This got Erol's attention. All eyes flew over to Daxter and Erol finally realized who this girl really was.

"I thought I killed you!" Erol yelled over to her with anger burning in his eyes. He did not like it when his dead came back to life. And he was mad that he had never seen it when he was flirting with her. That whole time he could have just captured her and get it over with. The Baron was not going to be happy with him.

Roxie gave them a big smile and took off the pirate hat on her head as she did a deep bow.

"Roxie and Daxter, the two invincible friends ready to kick butt," Roxie introduced herself after her bow and gave them a wicked smile. She winked down to Daxter and the small bit of fear in him left. Roxie knew what she was doing. All he had to do was play along with her.

"How shall we kick your butts today?" Daxter asked and gave the two the same wicked smile as Roxie had on. "Should we throw fruit at you, or should we fake a death only someone as stupid as Erol can believe?"

"Or should I sick Daxter on you?" Roxie asked. "He packs a pretty good bite." She put her hands on her hips and waited for an answer.

Merlander frowned at the unpleasant memory of the day before when Daxter bit him. That little fur ball had a lot of spunk. Merlander glanced over to Erol to see his friend boiling with anger now. Merlander knew Erol had a short temper and a big ego problem. Right now he was about to explode.

"Get them," Erol ordered Merlander through clenched teeth. Merlander glanced over to Erol a bit too hesitant and Erol yelled, "Get them NOW!"

That was when Roxie moved. She picked up the cage with the bird and threw it to Daxter. Merlander ran up to her, and she ducked just in time as he jumped into the air in a flying kick.

Erol took off after Daxter and Daxter had no idea of how to defend himself. But Morph did. The little shape shifter turned himself into a fist and slammed into Erol's stomach and knocked the air out of him. He bent over gasping for air.

"Yeah!" Daxter cheered and gave the flying hand a high-five. "Maybe you are handy after all. No pun attended." Morph giggled then flew into a loop.

Merlander sprung off of a tree after missing Roxie and came back at her with a tight fist. Roxie crossed her arms in front of her face to defend herself and Merlander hit her arms instead of her face. The force threw Roxie to her butt and she quickly rammed her toe up into Merlander's chin.

Merlander backed off while rubbing his chin. Roxie got to her feet in a flash and came at Merlander now and was not playing defense anymore. Merlander planted his feet apart and crouched down then sprung up and grabbed a vine right as Roxie came at him. Roxie had to stop fast when she saw Merlander jump out of her way, and she almost lost her balance.

Merlander was now somewhere above her. Erol, Daxter, and Morph were now all gone. It was only her and Merlander and it looked like he was winning.

Suddenly a hand grabbed Roxie from behind and a vine went over her mouth so she could not scream. Roxie kicked all around but did not hit the person behind her. The person dragged her to a stone house that was in the middle of the swamp and was breaking down.

"Calm down," Merlander told her as he kept his grip on her firm. "I will not hurt you."

He let her go and she was knocked off balance and landed on her butt again and facing him. The look on her face told him that she was not scared but extremely mad. She looked up at him all flustered, and he gave her a weak smile.

"What do you want?" she asked while trying to get up. Merlander offered her a hand, but she turned it down with a cold glare.

"I'm in a group that is called 'Black Water'," Merlander said. "We are for the Baron and for the Underground. My only mission is to protect you from the Baron."

"So a bunch of tree huggers got together to form a team finally?" Roxie stated while putting her hands on her hips and looking at him with hard eyes. "Sorry, but I'm a true Underground person and I'm not switching over!" With that said, she tipped her hat to him and started to walk off.

"Wait!" Merlander called after her and ran to catch up. "We don't care where you stand. I don't care where you or anyone else stands. But my mission is to keep you out of harms way, from Erol, or any other Krimson Guard."

"Stop!" Roxie ordered while putting her arm out and stopped walking. Merlander had to quickly slam on the breaks to keep from ramming into her. "Listen," she said to him and he tried to hear something, but there was nothing to be heard.

"Those were the few silent seconds where I was caring about what you said," Roxie said with a nod of fake seriousness. "But now," she added while putting a hand on his shoulder, "I'm over it." She patted him on the shoulder then said, "Now you're getting on my nerves, tree hugger, so leave."

Merlander gave a heavy sigh and said, "I'm not going to leave. I'll just stick around and you will not know that I'm here."

"You know what?" Roxie asked while stepping out of the broken down house and into the swamp.

"What?"

"You're like a fly," Roxie answered with annoyance to her voice. Merlander chuckled and followed her. "I just want to catch you in my hands and...and..." she was now getting ahead of herself. She curled her hand into a ball and started to pound it with her other hand. "Squish you!"

"I beat it would be very refreshing for you," Merlander said calmly with a faint smile on his face. He followed her till they got to a batch of green peach-like fruit on a bush.

"I wonder where Daxter and Erol are," Roxie said while picking a fruit and giving it to Merlander. She picked up one herself. Suddenly there was a loud yell that echoed around the swamp. Roxie dropped her fruit in surprise and her and Merlander took off after the noise.

"Oh yeah!" Roxie could hear Daxter cheer. She came up and saw that Erol had his back to her and Merlander and was stuck in quicksand. Daxter had led him into it. He was doing a victory dance on the other side of the sand with Morph doing loops in the air. The cage with the bird was next to them.

"Get me out of here, rat!" Erol shouted.

"Talk to the left," Daxter said while putting his left paw/hand up to Erol, "Because you ain't right!" He smiled to Morph and they both gave each other a high-five again. "How cool was that one?" he asked Morph with a nod and Morph returned it with an over dramatic one. Erol had not seen the two behind him yet. Roxie looked up at Merlander to see that he was trying to hold down a chuckle.

"Okay, I got another one for you," Daxter said with a giant smile. Erol narrowed his eyes at him and growled. "Talk to the palm because you ain't the bomb!" Daxter said then spotted Roxie. "Got to go," he said then stopped and added, "And do take some anger management classes because you really need 'em." He then ran off to join Roxie.

"Guess you need to get your friend out of the there," Roxie said with a sticky smile and ran off with Daxter and the bird. Morph zipped up to Merlander and looked into his eyes with a chirp of glee.

Before Merlander could react to the flying creature in his face, Daxter came back and grabbed him while scolding, "Get over here you flying pink Jell-O, or I just might think about eating you for dinner because I'm real hungry."

Merlander could hear Roxie shout to him, "Stop thinking about your stomach, Dax! We got to take the bird back to Mod and return Morph. Get your butt over here!" Daxter quickly ran away to make the girl happy. Merlander now knew where to find them. Mod's place.

Merlander shook his head and turned toward Erol. He would have to put his mission to protect Roxie aside and help Erol. Even though the two were not good friends anymore Merlander could not just let Erol die.

Merlander came up to Erol with a small hint of a smile on his lips. Erol looked up at him and frowned. He was not in a happy mood.

"Well?" he asked.

"Well...what?" Merlander said in response.

"Get me out of here!" Erol yelled.

"What's the magic word?" Merlander asked with the smile on his face widening.

"Shut up!" Erol said with anger, "Before I..."

"What are you going to do?" Merlander asked. "Hit me? You're stuck, waist deep, in quicksand. Could it hurt to say please?"

"Fine!" Erol yelled. He looked away and crossed his arms while muttering, "Please get me out."

"Can't hear you!" Merlander said with a laugh. For years Erol had always been better at everything and Merlander was just the run-of-the-mill kind of guy. He could not help himself to have just a little bit of payback.

"Please get me out!" Erol shouted.

"Okay," Merlander said with a shrug. In two seconds he got Erol out. It was easier with Erol than Daxter because Erol was not that deep down in it and he was not sinking so fast.

"Where is the girl?" Erol asked the second Merlander got him free.

"She ran away," Merlander said with a bit of fake anger. "Here is some fruit," he said while giving the fruit he picked earlier to Erol. He wasn't hungry enough to eat it.

Erol looked at it and asked, "Where did you get this?"

"When I was running after Roxie I gave up because she was so far ahead of me and found it on a bush on my way back here," Merlander said with a shrug.

"Okay then," Erol said. "Thanks." He crunched into the fruit and swallowed the sweet taste. They both walked silently to the muddy land. Erol started to sway a bit like he was drunk and Merlander caught him before he hit the ground.

"Stars!" Erol exclaimed faintly while pointing weakly to the air in front of him and Merlander gave him a strange glance.

"Are you okay?" Merlander asked him. Then Erol's eyes rolled back and he passed out in Merlander's arms. Merlander struggled under the weight of his friend. "Oh, crap!" he muttered to himself while dragging Erol across the mud to the metal door. It opened for him and Merlander stepped in.

"Wake up," Merlander ordered to Erol with a heavy sigh. Erol did nothing and Merlander looked to the fruit he held in his hands and shook his head. "Knock-out fruit, should have know if it was coming from an Underground."

Merlander dragged Erol out into the slums and put him next to a building. He got out his communicator and called for someone to pick Erol up. "Now on to Mod's," Merlander said to himself with a slight sly smile on his face. He put his helmet on and ran up to a zoomer. He turned the keys and flew off on his way to where Roxie and Daxter were heading.

A/N: Long chapter! Love them! Sorry if I miss a review. I only had time to do one. I had a long day so I want to go to sleep. Please give a review!


	12. Chapter 12 Fort Dark Warrior

A/N: I finally got an idea for putting some of Jak into the fic. After a few chapters I'll put him in and show you how he is living his life. I'm saying that Jak did not stay in the prison the whole time for those two years. What I'm saying is that he was somewhere else for a few months. Where? I will not tell you right now. I don't own anything for Jak2. Please R&R.

And things in _italics_ are Jak's thoughts. He can't talk so I just made it that you go into his head to figure out what he would say.

Chapter 12

"Let's see what we got here," an old gray haired guy said while taking out a clipboard from under his arm. He spoke with a southern accent and he chewed a gross smelling tobacco of some kind. He was strong looking and he wore a pair of torn pants and a red shirt that had a few patches on it. His big mountain boots were too big for his feet, but he liked them anyway.

"Only three this time," he stated to himself while looking up at Jak and two other elves standing next to him in a straight line. The old elf chuckled to himself while adjusted his large brim hat that sat loosely on his head.

Jak was not paying any attention to the man, though. The surroundings around him were getting all of it. They were in a deep, green jungle in the middle of somewhere. Big, brick walls were around a large clearing in this jungle, and that was were Jak was in right now.

The walls were 20 feet tall with pieces of glass rum bottles on the top that reflected the sun high above their heads. The wall was a perfect square with one way in and one way out. That was the door on the south side of the square and it only opened for Krimson Guards or Generals of the place Jak was now in.

Inside the walls was a whole different story. Wooden cabins were everywhere and the only people walking around were Krimson Guards or Generals that were dressed like the old guy in front of Jak. But this was only one section of the place surrounded by walls. There were four parts to the fort.

The first one had the door and different cabins for the Krimson Guards and Generals that controlled the small place in the middle of nowhere. The second section was for the poor elves that got stuck in the mess Jak was in now. It was just a big place with tents and cabins for eating. Third was for training that the captured elves had to do. Fourth section only few knew about. No one wanted to know what that section was for. It was best known as a mystery.

"Okay!" the old guy said with a funny smile on his face and he showed his few teeth. "Welcome to Fort Dark Warrior, folks. You have been tested by the Baron and are strong enough to go through training. That only means little because lots of people past the first little test. But then again, we only pick out four strong people a month. Looks like the fourth did not make it this month."

Jak gulped down a large lump in his throat and his big blue eyes got wide. In his head he realized that for those few painful days of getting zapped with Dark Eco was just the beginning of the pain he had to go through. What did this place have in store for him?

The old guy walked up to Jak and got up right in his face. Jak did not know what to do and leaned back to get his space. The old guy squinted his eyes at him as Jak gave a shiver. This guy was now put on the list of creepy.

_Bubble! Space!_ Jak thought. _What the heck does he think I am? Some freak? I get blasted through a rift gate and end up in a city, and in the first few seconds I'm there a Krimson Guard knocks me out. I get taken to Baron Praxis' prison and get Dark Eco pumped into me then they ship me out here to the middle of nowhere. Now this creepy old guy is getting into my face and his breath is so gross I think I might faint._

"How could a kid survive Dark Eco?" the guy asked with bewilderment. He scratched the top of his cowboy hat and backed away from Jak. "And we finally got another girl into the Fort again."

"So you do have girls here?" the girl next to Jak asked while putting her hands on her hips and giving a cold glare down on the short guy. She was tall with brown hair that had a red tint to it. She had hard ice blue eyes that were always narrowed. She had a very strong figure and she looked to be around 20, but that meant she was older because elves live two times longer than humans.

"Yes," the old guy said. "But there are mostly guys and everything is done in guy ways."

"So you're telling me the toilets are all guys?" the girl asked.

"Who said we had toilets for the prisoners?" the guy said with a wicked smile and once again he showed his wonderful brown teeth. The three gave him disgusted looks while the girl wrinkled up her nose.

_Great_ Jak thought with sarcasm. _They don't even have a place to go to the bathroom! What else do they not have? A place to take a bath or shower? What about food and water? Do we get those too?_

"You get breakfast and most of the time dinner," the guy went on then spit on the ground next to Jak's foot.

_Gross!_ He thought while wrinkling up his nose to show his disgust. _If I watch this guy all day I might not want anything to eat for dinner._

"You three will all share a tent to sleep in," the guy went on and threw a pack at the girl full of the tent stuff. He then threw another pack of clothes at the other guy next to the girl. "And these are y'all clothes. Y'all group five. Everything you will do will be group five unless it is just for one person and if you pass a few tests here you will gain a number for yourself.

"And don't try to run away," he added. "If you run away on one of your first days we shoot you and kill you right off the bat. After your first days if you try to escape we just punish you." He said the word "punish" with an evil smile that made a knot form in Jak's stomach.

Suddenly the guy next to the girl freaked out. He gave a battle cry and was about to hit the old guy with the pack of clothes. The old guy quickly reacted and pulled out a gun and put it to the guy's forehead. He did not hesitate on pulling the trigger.

BAM! The sound echoed around the area they were in and Jak jumped in surprise. The guy who had attacked fell to the ground and his head rested at Jak's feet. Jak held his breath as he looked down at the lifeless eyes staring back up at him. The blood from the bullet of the gun dripped down the guy's forehead and made a pool of red at Jak's feet.

"You two are now lucky," the old guy said to the girl and Jak. "Only two in the tent. You can carry the clothes now, sport." He handed the clothes to Jak and the teen backed away from the dead elf on the ground next to his feet while his heartbeat skyrocketed.

Jak had seen lots of people die before, but never like this. His brain went into lock. It took him a few seconds to regain his thinking. He closed his eyes and tried to think straight. Running away was now off his to-do-list. This was serious.

_No more playing around_ Jak thought. _I've got myself way too deep into this mess. I'm going to die before Daxter saves me and I got to do something before I get killed like this guy. I only thing I can do is get on top and survive the torment that is in store for me. Then I might have a good chance of making it out of here alive. But no escape plans!_

* * *

"Five laps around the course!" the General said in a loud voice. He was a strong, lean man with a cold stare and a long whip in his hand. "Go!" he shouted to the small group of six including Jak. He cracked the whip at his side when he shouted the word and everyone started to run. Jak was right with them.

It was Jak's first morning in the fort. That night he set the tent up with the girl, Nea, and ate dinner at a big tent full of tables. The food was only water and some clear soup stuff in a tiny bowl. Jak had tried to get Nea to talk, but she stayed silent most of the time. It was hard to get her to say a word because Jak could not speak.

At six Jak and Nea had to get up and go to the tent for breakfast. It was water and some moldy bread, but Jak did not complain because by the looks of all the other people around him it was the best food they were getting. Then the Krimson Guards picked out two groups and one of them was number five. Jak and Nea went to another part of the fort to start their new training for the Baron's project.

Jak struggled to keep up with the others and Nea. Their outfits were a light, tan shirt with green pants that were tucked into black, cloth shoes that went up to the knees. On the shirt was a red number five to show what group they were in.

"Keep up with us," Nea said to Jak while picking up the pace. Jak nodded and pushed himself to go faster. "Don't lag behind," she demanded while glancing back to Jak. Jak spotted some concern in her hard eyes as they made eye contact. It would explain the reason why she wanted him to keep up with her.

They came to the first challenge that was a place where they had to crawl under a barbwire in the mud to get to the other side. Jak skidded to a stop behind Nea and it was quickly his turn to go under. He dropped to his knees and started to crawl. Nea told him to move with his toes and elbows and he quickly made it through with only a few scares.

He got up and ran to the next challenge a few feet away. Nea stayed a few strides ahead of him. He was dead last in the group, but still close behind everyone. The next challenge was a big wooden wall and they had to go over it with the help by other people.

"Move!" yelled the General and Jak could hear the crack of his whip. He winced as the sound echoed around the place they were in. "Faster, you wimps!" he bellowed and Jak did what he said. He pumped his legs faster to get to the wall.

"I'll help you up then you help me," Nea said sharply to Jak as he pulled up beside her.

_So that is why she is helping me out so much_ he thought while giving her a glare. _She needs help by someone and she only trusts me to do it. She might feel a bit of concern but not as much as I thought it was. And I don't care if I have to help her along as she gets me through this._

Nea cupped her hands together and Jak jumped into the air and put one foot in her cupped hands. He sprung off and grabbed the edge of the wall with one arm. He fought the erg to just drop and try again, but the sound of the whip by the General watching him closely made him suck it up and pull himself up to the wall.

He swung one leg up and put his hand down for Nea. She noticed his hand was too short and backed up before running toward the wall. She jumped and grabbed his wrist. Jak gritted his teeth together at the sharp jerk on his shoulder and swung her up with him. She did not let go of his wrist and pulled him down to the other side of the wall with her.

Jak gave a sharp cry of surprise as he was pulled away from the wall. He fell on his knees and elbows in the mud and the brown water splashed into his sweaty face. Nea forced Jak to his feet, as she hissed to him, "Get up!" She grabbed his shoulder and he stumbled a bit in the mud before gaining his balance from his fall.

They ran as fast as they could to catch up with the rest of the little group to the next challenge. It was a place where you had to climb hand over hand to the top of a rope to a small platform and then find some kind of way to zip down a cable to a tiny platform to get to the ground. Jak knew he was not going to like this.

"You go first on the rope," Nea commanded to Jak. He was only thankful that he was great at going up ropes back in Sandover Village. His only worry was that he right now was worn out from the run and hurt from the fall.

Jak grabbed the rope with both hands and quickly flew up the rope with ease. Nea was right behind him. They made it to the platform way above the ground and Jak stopped to catch his breath as Nea found an easy way to zip down to the other platform.

She pulled out her hair tie that had firmly put her hair in a ponytail. She tested it and nodded to show that she was satisfied with it. She put it over the cable and grabbed the two ends with a strong hand.

"Come on!" she said to Jak while looking over to him. Jak ran up to her and she said, "Hold onto my waist tight."

_Yeah, lady_ Jak said sarcastically in his head. _Like I'm going to be waving my hands around like I'm on a ride. Of course I'm going to hang on tight!_

The sarcastic thought quickly vanished as he clung onto Nea as she jumped off the platform around 15 feet away from the muddy ground below them. Jak slipped a little but they quickly made it to the other platform and jumped off to the ground.

"One lap down," Nea said under her breath. "Four more to go."

Jak looked at her with wide eyes as he pushed himself to stay with the girl's pace. He forgot that they had five laps to do. And he noticed that the others were ahead of them already. Jak did not know if he would make it to the end.

"Pick up the speed!" the General shouted to Jak and Nea. As they past him he gave his whip a crack and it struck Jak's side. Jak first was in shock that the guy really did that then the sting came over him and he winced. The General laughed so hard he held onto his sides. "Better pick up the pace, kid!" he said with a smile, "Or you will be dead before tomorrow." He gave Jak a wink and cracked his whip again with an evil smile creeping over his lips.

"Focus!" Nea snapped to Jak. "You can hate him later. Right now we got to catch up with the other team. Now move!"

_I hate this place!_ Jak thought as he winced through the pain going through his whole body. _How can someone do this to other people? I would not wish this on my worse enemy! Why did they pick me out of a ton of people? Why am I here?_

Jak then clenched his teeth together and determination flashed in his eyes. He flew through the next lap at great speed and was with the rest of the group. Nea did not have to tell him to catch up the rest of the way. He was going to prove that he was not some weak link in the pack and he was going to show what that General what he was made of.

They made it past the finish line in second. Jak was just glad to see the astonished face of the General as he saw Jak finish with a good time for one his age. He gave the General a smirk through a gasp for air. His lungs burned like fire and every bone in his body wanted to give out at any time. Sweat pored down his forehead and he took an arm to swipe it away while catching his breath.

_I will not be a weak one of the pack!_ Jak told himself while glaring at the General. _I will not end up as the guy from the day before! I'll show everyone that I'm just as good as everyone else. The Baron will pay for what he is doing to these people someday and it will be by me. I swear right now I'll make him pay!_

With that vow, Jak set himself a new goal for the camp. He was going to get out and somehow get back at the Baron. Nea looked over to him and flashed him a smile. He returned it with a faint of one.

"You did good, kid," she told him. She patted him on the shoulder and he gave her a nod. "Just take it slower next time. I don't want you to pass out in the middle of your training."

_I wish I could say a thank you to her_ Jak wished in his head. _Without her pushing me I would never make it through. With her by my side I have a chance at making it. I hope she stays with me for a long time._

Jak just gave her another smile and a nod. She looked down at him with a frown. "Why don't you say anything?" she asked while putting her hands on her hips. Jak shook his head for his response and Nea finally realized that he was mute. "Oh," she said slowly. "Sorry about that."

Before she could say more, the General shouted, "Team five goes to first day training while team two goes back to the tent to rest. Let's move, people!"

"Let's go," Nea whispered to Jak. He nodded and followed right after her. This was going to be a long day for the both of them. Dread was starting to flow in Jak. This could be his average day in this camp. So far he was not enjoying it.

A/N: More of Jak in later chapters. About every two or so I'll slip him in or cut the chapter in half for Daxter one half and Jak the other. Please give a review!


	13. Chapter 13 Awesomely Awesome Hat

A/N: Wow. Everyone felt so sad for Jak. Well, I do too. And some people thought it was one of my best chapters. I feel very loved! This chapter is only Roxie and Daxter and now Merlander is joining their little team for a few chapters.

And oh my gosh! My little sisters rented the game Tak2 and when my mom returned it she put my game Jak2 in the case and gave it to Block Buster! I panicked! I paid for that game and now it was taken away and I would never be able to play it again. Thankfully, my dad called them and just this morning my mom got my Jak2 back.

Anyways, I was getting off the subject. Rated PG-13 for some swearing, action, and a bit of gore. Sorry about not responding to reviews. I don't have much time on computer now. I don't own anything for Jak2. Please R&R. Thanks!

Chapter 13

"We totally got your bird!" Roxie said at the top of her lungs as she jumped through the beads that was made as a door for Mod's tent. Daxter came in right after her with Morph by his side. They both wore proud smiles.

Mod jumped from where he was behind his desk looking closely at one of his old maps. He gave a short gasp and looked up with a frown. Someone next to him in the shadows just gave a smile.

Roxie smiled with triumph and held the cage up to Mod as Daxter jumped up to her shoulder. They did not notice the guy in the shadows. "And we kicked some Krimson Guard butt while we were at it!" Daxter joined in. "And your bird is in primo condition!" Morph gave a series of over dramatic nods while he let out a chirp.

"I see," Mod said stiffly while adjusting his glasses and looking at the bird closely. "What do you think, Mr. Merlander?"

"Huh?" Roxie and Daxter asked in union. They looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces.

"I think it looks fine," Merlander said while stepping out of a dark corner of the tent with his arms crossed in front of him and a sly smile on his face. "The ones who look messed up I think are Roxie and Daxter."

"Wait!" Roxie said while backing up with a bit of panic in her eyes. "I gave you that fruit. You should be out for around two days at the most."

"I gave the fruit to Erol by mistake," Merlander said with a shrug. "So here I am." He spread his arms out and gave the two a wide smile.

Daxter laughed out loud and fell off Roxie's shoulder by mistake. "That is great!" he said in the middle of laughing even though he hurt a little from the fall. "I would have loved to see him pass out! That is so funny!"

Roxie shook her head at Daxter with a chuckle. It took him a while to calm down. Morph turned himself into a mini Daxter and did a high squeaky laugh. Merlander and Roxie laughed with him. Daxter swiped him away with an annoyed glare. He did not like to be mimicked.

"Get lost," Roxie then said to Merlander while giving him a cold glare. She then turned to Mod and said, "Now where is our map? We want to get Jak out of prison today. Here is your stupid bird." She set the cage down on the table and saw that Merlander was still there.

"Why don't you leave?" she asked him with frustration.

"I'm a fly," Merlander said with a smirk. "I never go away." Daxter smiled with him. Roxie had told him what Merlander was into and that he wanted to protect her. She had also went into great detail about how he was like a fly. Daxter knew Roxie kind of liked him but did not want to admit it.

"Just give us our map so we can leave," Roxie hissed to Mod.

"Jak is gone," Merlander said calmly. Roxie and Daxter snapped their heads toward Merlander with shock and he explained. "He has been chosen for the Baron's Dark Warrior 'project'." When he said, "project" he put his hands into the quote symbols while rolling his eyes. "Jak was taken to a fort in the jungle just yesterday."

"You're bluffing!" Daxter said while pointing an index finger at Merlander. Daxter knew it was most likely true, but he did not want to admit it. If Jak were somewhere far away Roxie and him would never be able to free him.

"Don't believe me, ask me," Merlander said sternly while crossing his arms again.

Mod laughed and they all looked to him. "That was a good one, Mr. Merlander," he said with a chuckle. "I like that one very much."

"What does he mean?" Roxie asked with confusion.

"It was a joke," Merlander said dryly. "Don't believe me, ask me. Get it now?"

"Oh!" Roxie and Daxter said at the same time. They finally got it. Everyone in the tent except Mod rolled his or her eyes with heavy sighs. Even Morph joined them even though he did not know what it was all about.

"So do you still want a map?" Mod asked with a smile. Roxie looked at him with a deathly glare that made the smile on his face vanish. "Just asking," he said in his defense.

"Just give us a job," Roxie said while thinking. "Then we are even."

"Pardon, miss Roxie," Mod said while messing with one of his long ears. "I thought you said to give you a job."

"She did," Daxter said while putting his hands on his hips. Merlander nodded to back him up.

"Well...um," Mod stumbled on his words. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" Merlander asked for Roxie. "I've seen her in action and she is great. She might seem like some little kid, but she is a lot smarter than what she seems."

"Thanks," Roxie said while giving him a glare. "So now you're saying I look dumb. I feel very loved."

"I'm serious," Merlander said. "When you fell from that tree to get the bird I was thinking you were an idiot. But the moment you hit the ground you were thinking of a plan and giving me the fruit. If I was hungry your plan would have worked perfectly. Give yourself some credit."

Roxie looked away and folded her arms in front of her. Daxter nodded and a slight smile crossed his face. "So what is your answer now?" he asked Mod.

"Fine," Mod said with a sigh.

"Really?" Roxie asked with surprise. "Yes!" She bounced up and down like a little kid she was on the inside and hugged Mod with a giant bear hug like one of Bruter's. She let him go and turned to Merlander and Daxter.

"Pass!" Merlander and Daxter said at the same time while backing away with weak smiles. What Merlander and Daxter both had was that a voice in their head kept repeating, _"Yes!"_ But it was not their thought. They did not dwell on it, though.

Roxie regained her posture and cleared her throat before saying, "I mean thanks. I'll swing by here tomorrow at around 12:30." She shook Mod's hand and skipped out of the tent with Merlander and Daxter right behind her. Morph stayed with Mod in the tent even though he wanted to join them.

"Now I need a whole new outfit," Roxie said while spreading her arms out to look herself over. Mud stains were all over her clothes and a big one on her butt. She looked at it then looked up to see Merlander and Daxter chuckling while looking at her. "Shut up," she said with a frown.

"Whatever you say," Merlander said while walking past her with a smile. "I need to change too. My shift as Krimson Guard is done so I have lots of free time. My mom owns a clothes shop. We can stop by there."

"What do you mean when you say 'stop by'?" Daxter asked while cocking his head to the side.

"I want you to visit Black Water," Merlander said while stopping and turning around to face them. "Just a quick visit. You need to know where it is in case something happens and you don't know where to go. You don't have to go if you really don't want to."

"I'll go," Roxie said while walking past him. "I've never seen a tree hugger village before. This should be fun." Merlander gave a heavy sigh and let it go.

* * *

"Okay," Merlander said while stopping right outside a store. "Before we go in you got to stay mum about me being in Black Water. They are really for the Baron because my mom and him are brother and sister."

"So that means your uncle is the Baron?" Daxter asked while standing up on Roxie's shoulder and crossing his arms in front of him. "When were you going to tell us this?"

"Right now," Merlander said with a sheepish smile. "Just tell me you'll keep everything about Black Water hush."

"I don't care," Roxie said. "Only if you get me some numbers knocked off some prices of clothes because this place is for people with lots of dough."

"Done," Merlander said and they both nodded to each other.

"Let's go," Roxie said with a funny seriousness to her voice. Daxter jumped off her shoulder and walked beside her with Merlander. They pushed the door open and the sound of music quickly filed their ears. Bright lights were flashing everywhere and all the clothes were mostly for teens.

The carpet was all kinds of funky colors. A disco ball on the ceiling cast little spots of light around the walls. A glass counter was in the back of the store with a lady behind it reading a teen magazine. She chewed some pink bubble gum and the way she chewed on the thing reminded Daxter of a yakcow.

She had short blond hair that was like Roxie's, but just a big longer. She was tall and skinny. She wore a pink shirt and white shorts. All down her arms were silver bracelets that had gone out of style two years ago. And with all the makeup she wore Daxter had a hard time determining if it was Merlander's mother or not.

"Mer!" she exclaimed as she looked up and saw them. "Where have you been for the last hour?" She said this as if when she just now saw him she remembered him and just wanted to say something. She looked over to Roxie and asked, "Who is the girl?"

"She is a friend, mom," Merlander said while giving her a weak smile. "Do you think you can give her a discount on an outfit?"

"Sure," his mom said. "What is that awful smell?"

"Her...uh...her pet, mom," Merlander said quickly while pointing to Daxter on the ground beside him. "He got a bit messy."

"I see," his mom said while giving Daxter a cold glare and he returned it quickly with a growl. Roxie nudged him with her leg and he stopped. "Please pick something out quickly because I can't stand the smell of it."

"Okay," Merlander said in between a sigh. Roxie went right away to picking some clothes out and went into the dressing room to try stuff on.

"This might take a while," Daxter whispered to Merlander. He was already used to the guy. Daxter felt safe with Merlander. He was a normal guy who just wanted to help. So striking up a conversation with him was okay. "She took forever the last time she did this."

"Yep," Merlander said. "When my mom goes to the palace it takes her an hour just to pick out the right dress."

"Girls," they both said at the same time while shaking their heads.

After a few minutes Roxie opened up the door and asked, "What do you two think?"

Her whole outfit was a mix and match. And some stuff did not even match for the girl. She wore a tight red sleeveless shirt under a loose white sleeveless shirt that was unbuttoned. She had on a black and white tie that sat loosely around her neck.

Her pants were black jeans and her shoes were white sneakers with red and black stripe shoelaces on them. She slipped on a red belt with metal studs around it and put the pack on with her stuff in it. And for her final piece of clothing was her prized three-cornered pirate hat. She also kept the gloves and that ended the whole mix and match outfit.

"I like it," Daxter said with a smile. "It is odd, but strangely enough, it is you."

"I hope you like it," Merlander said. "And what is with the pirate hat?"

Roxie looked like he had just said the sky was falling. "It is the greatest hat of all time. And it is awesomely awesome!" Daxter laughed and jumped onto her shoulder. He then flicked the hat off her head with an evil smile on his face.

"Hey!" she cried while catching it before it hit the ground. "You over grown rat! Did you wake up today and made it your goal to be evil, or did Merlander just tell you to do that?"

"Just testing you," Daxter said. Roxie started to hit him with her hat and he crawled down her by going in circles around her body. He got the floor and gave her a glare.

"You walk," she said to him while shoving the three cornered hat back on her head and giving him a nod. Merlander could not help but laugh. Daxter stuck out his tongue at her and she returned it.

"Okay, do I have to separate you two?" Merlander asked while stepping in between them sternly. "Stop acting like babies and get real."

"He started it," Roxie said while pointing to Daxter. "And I'm not acting like a baby!"

"Says the girl who sticks out her tongue when she is mad," Merlander said while rolling his eyes. Roxie then stuck out her tongue at Merlander and Daxter laughed.

"You got lucky this time," she said while pointing at Daxter with a warning finger.

"Let's go," Merlander said with a sigh. He was beginning to realize that Roxie was part teen and part kid. She was now really showing her kid side. Daxter tagged along behind them a bit mad that he had to walk. He wondered where Black Water was. He would soon find out.

A/N: You will see more of Merlander's family in later chapters. And they get kind of scary and Merlander is nothing like them. Next chapter you get to visit Black Water! And some other stuff is going to be reviled to you in the next chapter too. After that I'll try to add more of Jak. Please give a review!


	14. Chapter 14 Haven Forest

A/N: I got lots of reviews for my last chapter. More and more people are looking into this fan fiction. I want to thank you for all of you who review. And keep it up! I don't have a right idea for Black Water. It is still a rough draft in my mind, so I'm going to give you a cool action chapter. And I saw a really funny Jak3 thing on the TV and I can't wait till it comes out! I don't own anything Jak2. Please R&R.

Chapter 14

"Look!" Daxter shouted above the wind of the zoomer while pointing down to the grassy ground below them. "Yakcows!"

"Thank you, Dax, for pointing out the obvious!" Roxie said with a giggle that was muffed out by the wind whipping by her. Merlander smiled and looked behind him with a laugh.

He had changed into a cool outfit that was at his mom's store. He wore black pants with a white sleeveless shirt under an open green jacket. Strapped over his shoulder was a leather belt holding a gun on his back and other packs for ammo or gadgets. His shoes were tight and came up to the middle of his shins and they had metal bottoms. (A/N: Like the ones Robin wears on Teen Titans. And his hair is like Robin's just only blond.) He had on a set of black fingerless gloves.

Merlander took his Krimson Guard zoomer to get to Black Water. It was small and Roxie had to sit behind him with Daxter on her shoulder. But for compensation for the small room it made up for speed. They zipped across the roads of Haven City at great speed.

Merlander was good on a zoomer too. Roxie had made a bet with him five dollars if he could make it to Black Water in five minutes. He took the bet and now he was proving how good he was. He turned corners without even slowing down and the whole ride was surprisingly soft.

"Here we are," Merlander said while slowing down and pulling up to a walkway that steeped up to a big metal door. He turned off the zoomer and put the keys to it in his pocket. "Haven Forest. Pay up."

"Black Water is in Haven Forest?" Roxie asked as they walked up to the door. She gave a sigh and took out the money for Merlander from her pocket. "I was kind of kidding when I said you were a tree hugger, but I guess I was not that off." Daxter laughed while Merlander just shook his head and stuffed the money into his pocket.

They quickly made it past to doors and the sweet smell of fresh air filled their noses. Daxter missed the air from back home at Sandover Village. He was having a case of homesick, but he knew he would have to get used to Haven City because with Jak gone he was stuck here till he was back.

"I've never been past those doors," Roxie said quietly while looking around at the sight around her. "I wish there were more places like this." The grass was lush and looked like it could grow for forever. They were on a small ledge and a big drop off was in front of them.

"Through the warp gate," Merlander said while stepping over to a round circle with a blue vortex inside that spun around like it was water. Daxter noticed that it was a bit different than the ones at Sandover Village. The ones where he came from had bits and pieces flowing in and out when it was turned on. This one was just sitting there with a very still inside.

"I'll go first," Roxie said while jumping through it. Merlander was about to go through when he heard something from a ledge way above him on the other side of the cliff he was on.

"Sweet!" he heard Roxie yell. "I wonder if I can see my house from here."

"I see it!" Merlander heard Daxter say.

"Oh! Where?" Roxie asked with excitement.

"Got you!" Daxter said with a laugh. Merlander shook his head with a sigh and jumped through the gate. He came out on the other side of another warp gate that teleported him to the ledge they were all now on.

"Where to?" Daxter asked Merlander when he saw him.

"Follow me," Merlander said while walking ahead. Roxie followed close behind him with Daxter standing on her shoulder and putting his elbow on her head. He came to the edge of another drop off and a precursor platform suddenly came to them from nowhere.

"I've always wondered how all these precursor stuff suddenly come from places," Daxter said while shaking his head. "Oh well. I'm not complaining about it."

Merlander jumped on and Roxie followed him quickly. The tiny platform was so small they had to go back to back with each other to not fall off. Then the platform started to move over the air slowly and Roxie almost lost her balance. Merlander quickly grabbed her arm to keep her steady.

The platform went way above the blackness below them and went through a mountain to go to another part of Haven Forest. Finally the platform rested at a precursor arch with a big glowing ball of yellow in the middle that made a faint glow spread across their faces as they stepped off the platform to grass again.

The sight made Roxie catch her breath. They were in a deep forest with tall healthy trees with many leaves. They were on a big cliff looking over the forest before them. Bushes with all kinds of flowers grew near the small stream of water coming from a waterfall and flowing to a cave. Butterflies of all colors flew gracefully around the place looking for more flowers.

"It is so beautiful!" Roxie breathed as she looked around with wide eyes. "This is nothing like Haven City."

Merlander took in a deep breath and let it out while closing his eyes. "I love coming here after working all day. It is a good break. But we do have some dangers."

"How could a place like this have dangers?" Roxie asked while giving him a strange smile. She jumped down the big cliff that was around 20 feet high. Daxter jumped off her shoulder before she jumped with a cry of surprise. She landed on two feet and quickly glowed green. She just gave a big smile up to Merlander and started to walk towards the stream.

"Thanks for the warning," Daxter said down to her with a frown. "You know I can't stand that kind of a jump."

"Just testing you," Roxie said back to him.

"I'm warning you, Roxie," Merlander said down to her as he made his way down the side slowly. "Please be careful."

"What could go wrong?" she asked while turning toward him with a big smile. Her smile dropped when she saw the horror on Daxter and Merlander's faces. She gasped while turning around to see what it was the two were so stunned about.

"Get out of the way!" Merlander shouted to her while kicking back into action. Roxie was too stunned she did not have time to do what Merlander told her to do.

A big Metal Head came charging towards her with his long fangs glistening in the light. But this Metal Head was different from all the others she had seen. This one was way bigger with a long tail and wings. His big paws dug into the soft ground as he ran for Roxie with claws razor sharp.

Merlander ran toward Roxie, but he was too late. The Metal Head lifted off the ground with the flap of his wings and grabbed Roxie by the shoulders. Merlander jumped into the air for her, but missed by an inch and fell to the ground again as the Metal Head started to flap quickly to gain altitude with his prize.

"Do something!" Daxter yelled at Merlander as he hopped off his shoulder. "Or she might be the thing's next snack!"

"I'm working on it!" Merlander hissed down back at Daxter as he flipped his gun out from behind. He fiddled with the big gun till he popped out a thing that looked like a pistol. The gun was a two in one deal that he got from Erol who got it from Krew who got it from wherever he gets his weapons he so dearly loves.

In one simple move, Merlander aimed up at the beast carrying the screaming Roxie away. He pulled the trigger and Daxter hoped his aim was as good as he could ride a zoomer. The bang echoed around the forest and then a scream was heard from above as they saw the Metal Head fall from the sky still holding onto Roxie. Merlander had punctured the wings of the creature and now it could not fly.

Roxie grabbed a branch of a tree and the Metal Head quickly let go of her and fell to the ground and died. She just hung there with wide eyes as she tried to slow down her breathing.

"Let's go," Merlander said without even looking down at Daxter. Daxter had never seen Merlander like this. He had determination in his violet eyes that sparked with light of the battle. "There are more."

"More?!" Daxter asked while jumping to his shoulder. "You got to be kidding me!" Merlander shook his head no and moved quickly to the tree Roxie was now stuck in. She smiled down at them from where she was above them.

"I got it under control," she said down to them.

"Okay," Merlander said while returning to his smooth side that Daxter knew the most. "So you're saying being stuck in a tree with around three other Metal Heads around somewhere is having it under control?"

"Oh crap!" Roxie said while looking around her. "There's more? My hands are getting sticky. Can I jump down?"

"Okay," Daxter said while shaking his head. "That was random."

"Jump now," Merlander ordered. Roxie let go of the branch and landed next to the tree. She glowed green a few seconds before hitting the ground so she did not feel any pain when she landed.

"So where do you think the rest are?" Roxie asked Merlander as she walked up to him.

"Uh...there," Daxter said while pointing off to the side of them at three of the same Metal Heads coming out from bushes. They had their eyes set on the teens and growls came from their mouths as they crept forward.

"Let me handle this," Merlander said while lifting his pistol towards one of the Metal Heads coming at them.

"Sure," Roxie said while backing away. "You can handle Metal Heads all you want. I personally hate messing with them." Daxter rolled his eyes while Merlander gave a sigh. The Metal Heads were walking closer to the three and Merlander started to back up with Roxie while still pointing the pistol at them. The wheels in his head were turning quickly to think up a plan.

"I'm going to start shooting at the Metal Heads," Merlander said to Roxie and Daxter behind him. "Daxter, I need you to go up on that small hill over there and try to get the Metal Heads to look at you. Roxie, you run towards that cave when the Metal Heads look over to Daxter, and keep going till you come to a bridge and wait for Daxter and me."

"Why can't I fight them?" Roxie asked and it sounded like she wanted to fight them.

"When I said I was going to protect you I did not mean that you fight too," Merlander said to her. "Now, do both of you understand what you need to do?"

"I'm always the distraction," Daxter muttered under his breath as he and Roxie nodded yes.

Merlander then pulled the trigger to his pistol and started a round of bullets at the Metal Heads. They quickly went different directions to circle Merlander and Roxie. Daxter had already taken off for the hill Merlander pointed to. He ran like his life depended on it through the grass and bushes.

Merlander ran out of bullets for the pistol and clicked something on the pistol and the cartridge fell to the ground while he shoved another set in for another round on the Metal Heads. A Metal Head ran towards Roxie and Merlander pressed a red button on the silver pistol while pulling on the trigger.

A round of bullets exploded from the barrel of the pistol and Merlander did not even have to keep firing at the Metal Head. All 20 bullets hit the Metal Head and it was dead before it got to lay a paw on Roxie.

"Look out!" she yelled while pointing behind Merlander.

Merlander spun around while emptying the cartridge and fumbling with a new one. A Metal Head jumped into the air and came crashing down on Merlander's chest and knocked the wind out of him. Merlander landed on his back with a wince of pain as the claws started to dig into his sides of the Metal Head on him.

Roxie shoved a hand into her pocket and pulled out six dice with her gloved hand. She started to throw all of them with her fingerless glove hand at the Metal Head on Merlander. Metal Head blood flew into the air as the Metal Head screamed in pain as tiny explosions erupted on its skin.

But the thing was still not dead. It was just mad and wanted Roxie even more. His eyes locked onto her as he started to charge towards her as she started to gather her dice. Merlander got up and looked around for his pistol that had been knocked out of his hands when the Metal Head jumped on him. His eyes flashed with panic as he saw Roxie being cornered by two angry Metal Heads.

"Hey you!" came a voice from above. The Metal Heads were knocked off guard and looked over to a hill with Daxter on it. He searched for words and only came out with, "Eat me!" he yelled down at them then smiled. The Metal Heads lost interest in Daxter and turned to face Roxie again. But she was gone!

"Run!" Merlander yelled at the top of his lungs to Roxie who was ripping across the open forest to the cave on the other side. The Metal Heads growled and ran for Roxie while ignoring Merlander and Daxter.

"Shoot them!" Daxter yelled to Merlander as he saw the Metal Heads gaining speed.

Merlander glared at Daxter and ran towards the stream quickly. Roxie splashed into the stream on her way through the cave. The Metal Heads were right behind her. Merlander took out two mini disks in his belt around his shoulder and threw one like a Frisbee at one of the Metal Heads and the other at the stream under Roxie.

With a big boom one of the Metal Heads turned into ice and stopped in its tracks while the other turned the water under Roxie's feet ice and she slipped and landed on her butt. The other Metal Head kept going and slammed into the side of the cave when it turned right.

"Come on!" Merlander called to Daxter while getting out of the stream and sprinting to the mouth of the cave. Daxter ran after him as quickly as he could. He found Merlander's pistol on his way and brought it to him.

The Metal Head that slammed into the side of the cave finally regained his senses and spotted Roxie trying to get up on the ice under her. Merlander found no more gadgets in his belt and swore under his breath.

"Catch!" Daxter called to Merlander while swinging the pistol at him. Merlander looked towards him and grabbed the pistol with one hand. He quickly got out some more ammo and aimed it at the Metal Head. He only aimed for the neck of the creature. He pulled the trigger and the beast slumped to the ground dead in two seconds.

There was complete silence in the forest. All that could be heard were birds chirping and the panting of the three as they tried to gain their breath. Roxie got up and fell again on her butt. Daxter gave a sigh of relief and walked towards Merlander who just bent over and put his hands on his knees.

"Thanks," Merlander said to Daxter while giving him a nod.

"Hey, you were the one doing all the fancy stuff," Daxter said. "I was just there at the right time with the right weapon for you."

"Can some one help me?" Roxie asked while trying once again to get up from the ice. "My butt is starting to freeze off!"

Merlander chuckled and put the pistol into a holster at his side. He jogged up to Roxie and jumped onto the ice. He grabbed her arm and helped her up. He pulled her across the ice to water and they splashed through till they got to some rock stairs leading to a wooden bridge.

Daxter jumped onto the ice and slid to Merlander and Roxie with ease. He jumped off at the edge and landed on Roxie's shoulder.

"Amazingly, you still kept your hat on this whole time," Daxter said to her with a smile.

Merlander laughed out loud with Roxie as they climbed the rocks to the bridge. It was the first time Daxter heard the guy laugh. Roxie felt her hat and gave Daxter a proud smile. "Like I said," she told them. "My hat is awesomely awesome!"

A/N: Sorry if I said you would see Black Water. I did not know how to put it all together so I just put in how Merlander fights. He is still one of those characters that no one knows about, and I'll keep him that way for a long time. Tell me if you want to see Jak in the next chapter or Black Water. Please tell me in a review! Thanks!


	15. Chapter 15 Black Water

A/N: I'm SO sorry that I'm not putting Jak in this chapter! I said taht I would put him in this chapter, butthe idea was not good and this one is better. When I was at my dad's work I got a good idea for a Jak chapter and that one will be for the next chapter. Sorry that it took me such a long time to finish the chapter. I've had some writer's block.And here is the chapter!I don't own anything from Jak2. Please R&R.

Chapter 15

"Please don't tell more of those freaky, flying Metal Heads are around here," Daxter said with worry as the two elves climbed to a patch of earth a few feet above the water. A strong wooden bridge led to another patch of land.

"I don't understand it," Merlander said to them with a bit of confusion on his face. "Why did they want you and not us?"

"Because I'm special," Roxie said with a proud smile on her face.

"No kidding," Daxter muttered while rolling his eyes. She gave a glare and he smiled down at her innocently. The three stopped in the middle of the bridge, butMerlander was still confused.

"But those kinds of Metal Heads never attack like that," he said in deep thought. "They only attack when you're not looking or hurt. They are really shy and never go after a group of people. That is why I did not know how to kill them at first and was so surprised."

"You did not look all that surprised," Roxie stated while folding her arms in front of her.

Merlander just shrugged his shoulders and said nothing at all. He turned to the railing of the bridge then stopped as if he had turned into ice. He winced while holding onto his side where the claws of the Metal Head dug into.

"Are you okay?!" Roxie asked him with panic in her voice. She rushed over to him and put a hand on his shoulder as he grimaced with pain. Merlander then stopped wincing and looked a bit confused. He stood straight up again with wonder in his eyes.

"What was that about?" Daxter asked with a touch of anger in his voice.

"I...I don't know," Merlander said. "My side hurt suddenly, then it was gone in two seconds." He pulled his shirt up to see the scare from the Metal Head. All three were blown away when it was not there and with no sign a Metal Head clawed him there. "That's odd," was all Merlander could say.

"I could swear that Metal Head clawed you right there," Roxie said while pointing to his side.

"Me too," Merlander said with bewilderment. "But I guess it is okay now because I feel just fine."

"Are you sure?" Daxter asked Merlander while narrowing his eyes at him.

"Yeah," Merlander answered while giving Daxter a warning glare. "Let's just go before anymore of those Metal Heads show up."

"Okay," Roxie said. "So where do we go from here?"

"Down," Merlander said. "Just follow me."

"You mean we got to go underwater?" Daxter asked him. "Are you sure there are no underwater Metal Heads in this water?" After that near death experience with those Metal Heads back at the Pumping Station, Daxter hated those kind and did not want to see them again in a long time.

"It is called Black Water," Merlander said. "Let's hurry." Merlander jumped off the bridge with Roxie right behind him. Daxter hesitated a bit and weighted his options. He finally made up his mind and gave a sigh. He jumped off the bridge and prepared himself for the cold blast of water.

Daxter splashed into the ice,cold water and opened his eyes to see where the other two where. Merlander grabbed Roxie's wrist and they were swimming deeper down to the bottom. Daxter quickly flew down in the water and stopped next to Roxie and Merlander andhoveredwhile hewaited for them to make the next move.

Merlander brushed a bit of sand from the bottom of the water and uncovered a round metal door. He pushed a button on it and the door opened for them and some big bubbles escaped from the open latch. Merlander and Roxie went though with Daxter right on their tails and Merlander closed the door behind them.

Right after Merlander closed the door latch tight, the water in the round tube they were now in started to be sucked into little holes at the bottom. Soon air filled their lungs and Roxie gasped for it. Merlander had done this so many times he was used to it, and Daxter was half otter so it was no big deal.

The room they were now in was round and small. It had just enough space for Roxie and Merlander to stand next to each other and for Daxter to sit on one of their shoulders. Water dripped from the ceiling and echoed around the tiny chamber. Roxie shivered in the cold while Merlander typed a few things on a keypad built into the wall of the tube.

"Hang on," he said and the keypad went back into the wall. The floor under their feet started to drop and Roxie gave a short gasp of surprise. After a few seconds the floor under them stopped and it started to move sideways. Then it stopped again and started to go back up again a long ways.

"We call it Black Water because you have to go down into water that is black," Merlander explained as the platform under them started to go up. "But we really live in the middle of a mountain."

"Cool!" Daxter exclaimed. "How did you guys find it in the first place?" He shook the water off him like a dog would when wet. The others gave him mean glares when the water sprinkled into their faces. Daxter ignored them.

"Simon just said it was there for a long time," Merlander said. "I did not dwell on it, though, so I never asked him again or looked much into it."

"And who is Simon?" Roxie asked while pushing her hat up out of her face. She then took it off to air it out.

"He is the leader of Black Water," Merlander explained. "I'll introduce you to him once we get there."

"Okay," Roxie said and the platform stopped. A door opened in front of them and Merlander lead them into a big hallway with five doors leading to other places. "Do you know where to go?" she asked Merlander.

"Sure he does!" came a voice next to Roxie. "He is here all the time!" Roxie jumped in surprise and looked to her side to see whom the voice belonged to and how he had sunken up on her. But no one was there.

"So you should not worry," came the voice but on her other side. Roxie looked to that side and only saw a flash of blue with a few sparks.

"Whoa!" Daxter yelled as he saw a form running circles around Roxie. "What is that thing?!" he asked Merlander.

"Ha, ha!" the form zipping around Roxie with tremendous speed laughed, "Nice hat!" The form grabbed Roxie's hat off her head and kept going around in circles and making Daxter and Roxie very dizzy and confused.

"Flash!" Merlander scolded. "Stop before you make them throw up on you!"

Bam! Just like that, the form stopped in front of Roxie. He was just a little kid that looked to be around nine or ten years old. He had short blond hair and a sly smile on his face with big blue eyes that sparkled with mischief. (A/N: He looks very much like Dash from the movie, The Incredibles, but his eyes are slightly different and his name is different too.)

"Give me my hat back!" Roxie demanded to the kid and grabbed her hat off his head and pushed it down on her own head. The kid giggled and started to jump up and down like he had too much sugar and was too hyper to stand still.

"Who is this?" the kid asked in a rush. "Is she Roxie? Or is she some person you picked up on the street and she has no home and has to stay here? Will you tell me? Or am I going to have to force it out of you? Come on! Tell me!"

"Whoa, calm down!" Daxter said while holding onto his head with one paw as he tried to figure out what those rush of words meant. The kid talked so fast no one could understand him. "Slower next time."

"This is Roxie and Daxter," Merlander introducedthem to the kid. "And this is Flash. He tells us that when he was a bit younger he was picked on in his class because his dad was poor. One day he was in Dead Town and fell into some water that was really blue eco mixed with other chemicals. So now he has blue eco in him all the time."

"Yeah," Daxter said with a bit of frustration in his voice, "I could guess that much, but why is he so hyper?"

"Flash has to be moving all the time," Merlander explained. "Blue eco makes your heart go a bit faster and your whole body has to be moving fast or you might die. But long ago you could only have it for short period of times. Flash has it every second of his life and he can't slow down or it might be bad for him."

"Okay," Roxie said slowly while looking down at Flash. "I guess it is kind of what I have with this whole eco stuff."

"It is totally WICKED!" Flash said while starting to run around the hallway and leaving blue flashes behind him. Roxie and Daxter gave each other looks and just watched as the kid ran around.

"A big ball of lightning is what he is," Merlander said with a smile. "Flash, where is Simon? I need to introduce Roxie to him."

Flash suddenly showed up next to Merlander and said quickly, "He is with Rose because she is crying again for some reason or other in that room." He pointed to a door that had a sign on it saying "Bunks". "But I would not go in there if I was you," he added and then in the blink of an eye he ran up to the door and waited for the rest to follow.

"Who is Rose?" Roxie asked while tilting her head to the side, and by mistakesheknocked the side of her hat on Daxter. Daxter gave her a glare and yanked the hat off her head and took off with it. She made a reach for him but did not seem to be able to grab him.

"She is another who has eco in her," Merlander said as he watched Daxter run up his side and sat on his shoulder with Roxie's hat on his tiny head.Daxter winked at Flash and gave Roxie a sly smile.Flash giggled and just watched Daxter the whole time with wonder in his big eyes. "But Rose has Red eco in her all the time."

"So everything she does is triple her strength," Flash took over. He tried to speak a bit slowly for the two to understand, but he was so used to letting it all go and not trying to hold back. "So her strength is stronger, her body is stronger, her voice is stronger, and not to mention, her poop is stronger." As he said this, he wrinkled up his nose in disgust.

Daxter laughed out loud and said, "Only a kid would blab that to the world." Roxie just wrinkled her nose too and Merlander shook his head.

"Her crying is not that loud," Merlander said and opened the door. Right away a wail pierced everyone's ears and made all four wince in pain. Daxter pulled his furry ears down as Roxie plugged hers with her fingers. Merlander and Flash did the same and they walked in.

"You call this not being that loud?" Daxter yelled over to Merlander.

"Okay," he said. "Maybe I was wrong."

"How come we could not hear it through the wall?" Roxie asked him.

"Everything is sound proof here," Merlander answered. Roxie and Daxter just nodded and gave another wince. They walked to a bunk with a man holding onto a baby who was making all the noise. She was so cute with a little bit of orange hair and red eyes that glowed just like Roxie's and Flash's.

"Simon!" Merlander yelled to get the guy's attention. The guy looked to be in his late 20's with short brown hair and blue eyes. He did not seem to know they were even in the same room he was in. "Simon!" Merlander yelled again and waved a hand over his face.

"Whoa!" the guy said in surprise. "I did not hear you come in. I have ear plugs." Merlander just nodded and gave him a weak smile. "Make the girl stop, Merlander," Simon said while handing the baby over to him. "You always seem to make her happy."

"Fine," Merlander said while rolling his eyes. "ROSE!" he shouted above her. Rose started to wind down when she heard Merlander. "Shhh!" he told her as her yelling came to a stop. "Quiet," he whispered to her. She nodded and gave sniff.

"Poopie!" she cried in delight while clapping her little hands together.

"Aww!" Roxie said as she saw Rose. "What is she saying?"

"Hit the deck!" Flash ordered as he backed away and held onto his nose. Simon did the same with Merlander. Daxter did not understand but still did the same as they did. Roxie just stood there confused as Merlander shoved Rose into her hands.

BOOM!

"Oh!" Merlander said. "That was a big one!"

"Gross!" Flash said while fanning the air in front of him with a hand.

Roxie stood with Rose in her hands and petrified look on her face as she stared at the baby. "No kidding," she managed to get out of her mouth. "I think my nose just died and went to hell."

Flash laughed a little but no one could know for sure what it was because when he held his nose everything sounded funny. "We warned you," he said while hopping up to her like a kid on a sugar high.

Rose just smiled and clapped her hands again. She just liked seeing everyone suffer when she pooped in her diaper. Too bad everyone else was not amused by it. Merlander took Rose away from Roxie and Daxter switched back to Roxie's shoulder and gave her hat back.

"That was fun," Simon said. "Let's clean this girl up before we all die from the smell."

A/N: I'll have to finish everything in the next chapter. AND IFINALLY GOT JAK3!!!! It is so cool! But I've only gotten to play it for around an hour and got to only 18. So be nice andplease give a review!


	16. Chapter 16 Three Flag

A/N: I'm more than half way through Jak3! It is so cool! Anywho, I'm getting off the subject. I do that often. I'm putting in new characters in this chapter. Sorry if I'm putting in too many characters of my own. I just like my own and other's. This chapter is back at Fort: Dark Warrior with Jak and Nea. Please give a review!

WRTD: Mwhaha! I'm not telling anyone who the Yellow Eco person is! I'll just tell you that the guy will be in the fan fiction more and more. You figure it out in the next chapter when I return back to Black Water. And Rose is so cute! Thanks for the review!

Chapter 16

"Wakie, wakie!" came a joyful voice outside the tent Jak and Nea was sleeping soundly in. "Time for nasty tofu eggs and dirty water!"

_It is way too early to get up!_ Jak thought as he returned from his dreamland to reality. _Tubal better shut up before I kill him! And if he comes into this tent it will not be a pretty sight._

Tubal never heard any of Jak's threatening thoughts and pulled the flap of the tent wide open for the sun to shine in and hurt the eyes of the two trying to sleep some more. Nea grunted while pulling her little blanket over her eyes. Jak winced and turned his eyes away quickly.

"Don't do that ever again!" Nea yelled through her blanket. "Unless you want to get hurt." Tubal just smiled widely and yanked the blanket away from Nea and the one on Jak. Jak shivered in the morning cold and gave Tubal an annoyed glare that told him to back off.

"It is Saturday, you two!" Tubal said half with joy and half with sarcasm.

"So," Nea said in the middle of a yawn while stretching her arms out. She looked over to Jak who was still lying on the mat under him and doing nothing to wake himself up. "Get reading, kid," Nea ordered him like a mother would. Jak gave her a glare and she returned it with a fierce stare that made him finally get up.

_What is so good about a Saturday?_ Jak thought to himself as he yawned. _I've been here for three whole days and nothing has been going on. And Tubal is going to drive me crazy with his stupid happy-go-lucky attitude. How did he and Nea know each other in the first place? I wonder what is for breakfast._

"Saturday is when all the elves go out and play games," Tubal explained. "The more games someone wins the more hours someone sleeps on Sunday. I've won a few with my team, but never the one player ones. I bet the kid could beat some on his own. Won't you, kid?" he asked while he nudged Jak with an elbow.

_Ha, ha, that was so funny_ Jak thought while he narrowed his blue eyes at Tubal. _Everyone knows that I'm the only kid to make it through Dark Eco and survived for at least a day. At least they know I'm good._

Jak had a big reputation in the fort, but he did not know it. Everyone knew who Jak was. He was the kick butt kid who can go through the day running with the best. Unfortunately, for Jak it was either you loved him or hated him. The normal ones in the fort and weak ones loved him because he gave them all hope. The strong ones of the fort hated him because they could not bear that a kid could beat them.

"Let's go," Tubal said as he noticed that both ones in tent 5 were dressed and ready to eat. He grabbed both of their shoulders as he walked between them. Nea smiled and was glad to have a friend from Haven City by her side. They used to be partners working for Torn but when Tubal got captured Nea thought for sure he was dead. Now she got captured and they were back together again.

Jak just gave them both fake smiles and wished Daxter was on his shoulder. It was strange having no weight on one of his shoulders. Jak was so used to have Daxter there with him and talking about almost anything. He was Jak's very best friend and the wistful thought tugged at Jak's heart.

_I wonder what Daxter is doing right now_ he thought as he looked to the ground. _He could be dead by now, but Daxter is strong enough to not die so soon. I really hope he is in better shape than I am right now. He has it bad enough being an Osstel._ That thought just made Jak laugh in his head and a smile flickered across his face. It was funny to think that Daxter had used to be an elf. Jak thought Daxter was better being half otter and half weasel.

"Eat quickly," Tubal said to them as they picked up some red trays off a stand and went through a line to get breakfast. "The more time we get out there the better chance you two can win some games."

_Oh, yah_ Jak thought with sarcasm as he watched as the lurker serving the breakfast slapped a thing of tofu eggs onto his tray. _I guess Tubal was right when he woke us up this morning. How the heck do they make tofu eggs? I always thought it was impossible. I got to stop thinking about how they make it and just eat it without complaining about it in my head._

Jak gave a sigh in his head and set his tray down on a table next to Nea and across from Tubal. Nea started to ask Tubal about the games and Tubal just gave a one-shoulder shrug when she asked him a question. Jak smiled at his ways and started to eat his eggs with a bit of disgust and ignoring the smell.

"Thanks," Nea said to her old pal. "You're being a big help to us today."

"Don't mention it," Tubal said while giving Nea a sly smile. Tubal looked to be around Nea's age or maybe a bit older. He had short brown hair that spiked in all different directions. His eyes were green and flashed with joy. He was someone who always was happy no matter what. He always had a joke ready or support for someone.

"Are you done, kid?" Nea asked Jak while glancing down at him. "We got to hurry."

Jak looked at his half eaten eggs and gave Nea a look that said, "Do you think I want to eat this?" Nea got the look and chuckled while ruffling his hair. Jak bat her away in a friendly manner and she got a smile to come to his lips.

Tubal laughed and said, "C'mon! The games will start soon." Jak threw his eggs out and put his tray in a tub of water with the rest of the used trays. The three ran out the door of the cabin and Tubal jumped down the stairs and did a few flips in the air to show off.

"I was hoping you would fall," Nea said while giving Tubal a smile. "Watch the master work." Nea turned backwards and did two back handsprings and a few flips in the air before landing perfectly onto the ground. "I was always the best acrobat."

_How about this?_ Jak thought as a sly smile came to his face. He backed up and did a roll then sprung off the edge of the first step. He grabbed a poll and did a few acrobatic twists and flips on it before jumping off and grabbing onto a flagpole and twirling around it to the ground.

Nea and Tubal stared at him with wide eyes then broke out with laughter. "That was great," Nea told him while patting Jak on his back.

"Who knew the kid had it in him," Tubal said as they started to walk away.

"You three!" came a shout behind them. All three turned around and saw an angry Krimson Guard coming toward them. "Don't let me catch you doing any of those stunts again!" he barked out at them.

"Don't worry," Tubal said while giving the Krimson Guard a serious nod. The Krimson Guard glared at him and Nea just nodded. The Guard's eyes fell on Jak and they were ice cold. Jak just put on a cocky smile and gave the Guard a two-finger solute. (A/N: I don't know if this is true, but I heard that a two-finger salute means, "I don't care", or "whatever.")

"Move on, then," the Krimson Guard said skeptically and walked off after giving Jak another cold glare.

_What was that for?_ Jak thought while the smile vanished from his face. _That Guard has one big problem. Welcome to Fort: Dark Warrior!_

The three elves walked to a set of doors that lead into the third part of the fort. One General was there. It was the old guy from the day Jak first got there. He was leaning against the wall and chewing his tobacco as he always did. His big cowboy hat was shading his face but Jak could still see his eyes bore down on him. Right then Jak knew something was going on with him in the fort.

"You better not get hurt in there," he said to Jak as they came up to him. All three stopped and looked over to him with a bit of surprise. Jak rolled his eyes as a response. He did not have time to talk to a wacko General.

"You're not listening to me!" the old guy yelled to Jak while grabbing the front of Jak's shirt and pulling him to his face so the two where staring into each other's eyes. Jak was so surprised he could not react. He could smell of tobacco on the guy's breath and he could see his blood shot eyes clearly.

"Hey!" Nea said to defend Jak. "Kid, get away from him. He's drunk!"

"If you get hurt then we get sued," the old guy spat into Jak's face.

_Get your hands off me!_ Jak screamed to the guy in his head. Jak struggled against the grasp on his shirt, but the guy was surprisingly strong for an old drunken elf. _I'm not your beat up toy! Two words: Breath Mints! Now I'm using some of Daxter's language. What is this fort doing to me?_

"What are you talking about?" Tubal asked the General cautiously.

"He is too young to be in this camp!" the General yelled at the top of his lungs while swinging Jak around crazily. Jak winced and tried again to get free. "If he gets hurt someone will sue us! Then I lose my job!"

"Calm down!" Nea ordered the General with a bit of worry in her eyes for Jak. "Let the kid go!"

"Here my warning, kid," the old guy whispered to Jak and the teen gulped down his fear. "If we get sued then it is you who will be the first on my list to kill." Then the General threw Jak away and he collided with Nea with a wince of pain.

"Let's go," Tubal said while helping both of his friends off the ground. "The guy is drunk and has to be high or something." Jak got up and dusted himself off as Nea gave the drunken old guy a cold glare. Tubal opened the door and the three quickly went in to play a game.

* * *

"That was sweet!" Nea said as she jumped into the air while pumping her fist. Jak smiled real big as he watched her rejoice. They had just won four games in a row and that meant they had four extra hours to sleep the next day. Both really needed it too. Jak was pushing himself so much he needed as much sleep as he could and Nea was just as happy as he was.

"You were great back there, kid," Nea told Jak as they headed for the door back to the tent section of the fort. They had played all day long and were so tiered out and ready for food if they got any.

Jak wiped some dirt off his forehead with the back of his hand and gave Nea another smile to show her that he was listening to what she said. Both were so muddy that it would take four showers to get all the grim off them. Sweat made their clothes a bit damp as well.

"Hey!" came a ruff voice from behind the two. Nea and Jak stopped in their tracks and slowly turned around.

"What do you want, Durgen?" Nea asked with anger in her voice.

"I want the kid," he said while pointing a finger at Jak.

_You got to be kidding me!_ Jak thought as a sick feeling formed in his stomach. _Durgen is the strongest guy in this whole fort. What would he want with me? I'm just some teen._

"Leave him alone, Durgen," Nea said while turning around and grabbing Jak by the shoulder. They started to walk away and she whispered to Jak, "I knew Durgen from a little while back. Just don't show him that you're scared of him."

"I'm making a good deal here," Durgen said to them smugly. He was a big guy with mussels on every inch of his massive body. He was tall too with black hair and black eyes to match it. No one wanted to mess with this guy.

"Go away, Durgen," Nea said with annoyance in her voice as they kept walking away from the guy and towards the door.

"Me and the kid go play a game one on one," Durgen said as he walked to them swiftly. "If I win I keep my hours to sleep. I have four. If the kid wins then he gets my hours to sleep in. If I win then I get all the kid's hours of sleep. How about it?"

_8 hours!_ Jak shouted in his mind. _I would get 8 hours to sleep in! If I lose it will just be lick a normal day. What do I have to lose? Maybe an arm or leg, but I've kicked butt all day so far. I don't care if Nea wants me to or not. I'm taking him up on the challenge._

Jak stopped and turned around to face Durgen with a cocky smile on his face. Durgen looked a bit surprised that Jak wanted to go against him. Nea had to put on her brakes and her jaw dropped. She could not understand why Jak wanted to go against Durgen.

"We'll play Three Flag, then," Durgen said with a smug smile on his face. "Let's go." He then grabbed Jak by the front of his shirt and headed for the right field to play on.

_That does not sound good_ Jak thought as the smile vanished from his face. _Maybe I'm going crazy from being in his fort for so long. That would be the reason why I'm taking this big dude up on his offer. Why am I doing this? I should have just kept walking. Now look at me. I'm about to get killed! I got to stop being so cocky!_

Jak was drug by Durgen to a part of the fort that was just big fields. Nea followed right behind and was shouting protests to Jak. Jak just put on a grim smile and let Durgen take him to the field for the game Three Flag.

"Why are you doing this, kid?" Nea asked Jak with frustration and anger in her voice. "Three Flag is like suicide for someone like you. I watched two guys play it a few hours ago. It will be pure luck if you make it out alive."

_Oh, thanks for that bit of help_ Jak thought while giving Nea glare to shut up. _I feel so at home in this fort. And you're being very supportive here. I knew I was being too cocky. Next time I see Daxter I'll let him be the cocky one, and I'll sit back and watch him get hurt. If I see Daxter again. These are great thoughts for someone who is just about to get killed._

"Here are the rules, kid," Durgen said while letting go of Jak. "There are six flags on that open field. See them?" Jak looked to the field and saw red and yellow colored flags over the field. He nodded and Durgen went on. "One by one get a flag and bring it past your side. You want your own flags and you don't want the other person to get his flags past his line. You can do whatever you want to the other person and you can steal their flags as well. Your flag color is red. Let's go."

Jak went to the other side of the open field and waited for the horn to blow so they could start. Sweat started to flow down Jak's forehead and he saw his hands shook a little.

"You can do it, kid!" Jak heard Tubal call above the shouts on the sideline. Everyone in the whole fort was watching them. Jak looked over to Tubal and Nea, and they both gave Jak smiles along with some other elves watching.

Jak suddenly felt sure of himself and planted his feet into the ground in a ready stance. He cracked his knuckles and gave his two friends a wink. Jak was ready.

The horn pierced the air and the game began. _Bring it!_ Jak thought as he bared his teeth together and ran into the field. He would show everyone what he was made of. He would win.

Jak sprinted to his first red flag and yanked it out of the ground with a short grunt. He turned to go back to his line and saw Durgen advancing toward him at full speed and his flagpole in his hands. Jak had little time to react.

Durgen swung his pole at Jak head, and Jak ducked just in time and was so close to getting hit he could hear the pole swipe the air above his head. Jak tightened his grip on his pole and jammed it into Durgen's groin area with all his strength.

The big guy was down in two seconds. Jak then ran like his life depended on it, and it sort of was, to his own line to put his flag down. Durgen was only disabled for a little while. Jak had only made the dude mad. Jak heard the crowd cheer loudly as he put his pole into the ground on his side. He turned to get his next flag.

_One down and two more to go_ Jak thought with determination. _I have a chance._

Jak ran to his next flag and swiftly got out of the ground. Durgen was right there to fight him again. This time Jak was not so lucky. Durgen swung his fist back and hit Jak in the chin. Jak went with it and fell to the muddy ground. Durgen came down with his pole and Jak blocked him with his own and got Durgen away with a hard kick in the chest.

Durgen backed off and let Jak get up so they could have another go around. Jak got up right away and jumped out of the way when Durgen came down hard with his pole. Jak took the opening and swung around and hit Durgen in the butt with his pole.

Jak heard everyone watching laugh loudly, and Jak smiled when he realized what he had just done. Durgen lashed out with his pole again and nailed Jak in his stomach and took out all his air. Jak backed up while gasping for breath.

"Not so tough now, are you, kid?" Durgen said as he put his foot in Jak's face. He then knocked Jak to the ground again with a rough laugh. Jak flung the mud of Durgen's boot off his face quickly jumped in the air with anger coursing through his body. Jak topped his swift move off with a perfect spin kick to Durgen's head.

Jak then grabbed his pole and ran like hell to his line. He put the pole into the ground and heard the crowd cheer for him again. It gave him just enough strength to go on in the game. He turned around and saw that Durgen was not taking any more chances and had his last pole already in his hands and making for his line.

Jak quickly looked for a way to somehow beat Durgen. He zipped back to when Durgen was telling him the rules and found his only answer. Stealing.

The teen ran as fast as his legs would let him go onto the field once more. On his way toward Durgen he grabbed his pole. In the middle of his running, Jak swung his arm back that held the pole and threw it like he would a javelin. _Please let all those stupid years of target practice come back to me right now!_ He prayed in his head.

By pure luck the pole hit Durgen's head lightly, and he was stunned enough to stop and look behind him. Jak came flying by him and grabbed his pole, the pole in Durgen's hands, and the two on in the ground. By this time Durgen got his head back together and ran after Jak who was running once again to his side of the field.

The sidelines were laughing once again at Durgen's stupid mistake and the fact that a kid was beating him at the game. Durgen was faster than Jak and quickly caught up with him. He jumped into the air and flung himself onto Jak's back.

Jak let go of Durgen's flagpoles and turned around with a wild swing before Durgen hit him. Durgen was too fast and strong. He grabbed the pole with both hands and put all his weight into his next move. He flung the pole into the air and out of Jak's hands. He then brought the pole down onto Jak's back with an evil laugh of his own sick enjoyment.

Jak faded in and out of conscientious. His vision was a bit fuzzy and he hurt all over his body. He could feel his body almost slipping away, but the fight in him was strong and he fought against it. He would not give up so easily. This was more than just a game for extra sleep.

"I'm sick of you beating us," Durgen was saying, but Jak could only hear pieces of it. "It is time that you find your place in life. And your place is being a stupid, little, snot-nosed kid. You hear me?"

Jak mustered everything he had in him. He grabbed a handful of mud and quickly turned over to his back and shoved his hand in Durgen's face. _Eat dirt!_ Jak thought as mud went into the guy's mouth, nose, and eyes. Durgen backed away while spitting the mud out of his mouth.

In the blink of an eye, Jak had his pole in both hands. _Well, Durgen_ Jak thought as he flung himself toward Durgen and a smile flickering across his face. _Life is tough…_ Jak then hit Durgen in the head so hard that the big guy was out cold before he hit the ground. _…Get a helmet._

A Krimson Guard ran to Durgen and saw that he was knocked out. He then looked up at Jak with amazement and said for everyone to hear, "The kid wins!"

Jak let out a heavy sigh and dropped his pole while closing his eyes. His adrenaline was pumping so fast he could hardly stand still. The crowd went insane and ran over to Jak to congratulate him for his hard work. Nea and Tubal made it to him first.

"How did you do that?!" they both asked at once with excitement in their voices.

"That was so funny when you hit him on the butt," Tubal said with laughter.

"You now really deserve those extra hours of sleep," Nea told him.

Then the crowd surround Jak. After a few minutes of tons of questions and giving weak smiles, Jak was grabbed by the shoulder and yanked. He did not fight it. He was too worn out to.

A/N: This has been such a long chapter! I hope you liked it. And I'm sorry I did not update in a long time. I've been busy this whole thanksgiving weekend. Tell me if you liked the chapter. I hope it was good. It was done up in a quick way and I did spell check only for half the chapter. Please give a review!


	17. Chapter 17 Bo

A/N: My little sister saved another game onto my Jak3 game, so I was put all the way down to 25 percent. I'm back at 61percent but before she saved over it was around 75 percent. In this chapter you find out who has the Yellow Eco power and it goes deeper into characters. I really hope you people like it. And I'll try not to make as long as the last one. Please R&R.

Chapter 17

"Gas masks on?" Daxter asked in a high squeaky voice because his nose was closed off by a clothespin. Roxie and Merlander nodded while strapping on gas masks. They gave Daxter a thumbs up sign. "Tweezers?" Roxie held up a set of them and Daxter nodded while saying, "We are ready."

"I'm going in," Merlander said through his gas mask.

"Be careful," Roxie said with a tinge of fake worry to her voice. "It is strong."

"Steady now!" Daxter said from where he was perched on Roxie's shoulder. "Don't make any sudden moves."

Merlander leaned down to the form of Rose and quickly undid her taps on her diaper. He stepped back as the smell lingered from the big wad of poop. Rose giggled again at the two elves trying to change her and Daxter.

"Whew!" Daxter said while putting a paw to his head and trying to keep his balance on Roxie's shoulder. "That baby sure does pack a punch." With that said, Daxter fainted and fell off Roxie's shoulder to the ground.

Roxie started to laugh through her gas mask. She gave Merlander the tweezers and he removed the stink bomb and put a new one on the baby. Roxie and Merlander removed the masks and gave each other smiles.

"Catch!" Merlander said and threw the dirty diaper at Roxie.

Roxie screamed her surprise and juggled the stink bomb in her hands with alarm on her face. "Get it away from me!" she yelled while throwing it back to Merlander.

"You did not have to change it," Merlander said to her while swiftly shoving it into Roxie's hands again.

"You're evil!" Roxie yelled while giving it to Daxter who finally woke up.

"Ah!" Daxter yelled and threw it to Merlander once again. Daxter was now fully awake. "Get it away from me!" he yelled as Merlander threw it back to him. "Here Roxie," he said and gave it to Roxie. "Happy birthday!"

"But it is not my birthday," Roxie stated with a bit of confusion as Merlander laughed.

"Find another way to get rid of it," Roxie said while she gave the diaper to Merlander. Rose cheered happily and clapped her hands together. Merlander saw a trashcan next to a door and threw the thing in his hands at the trashcan.

At that exact time someone was coming through the door. He gave a yell and his hands turned yellow for two seconds. A big ball of yellow fire burst out of the guy's hand and exploded the diaper into hundreds of odor smelling pieces.

"Yew!" Roxie yelled while she looked down at Daxter who had a few pieces of poop on his fur and a big wad of it on his forehead.

"It has to be a curse," Daxter said with a heavy sigh. He put his paw up to his forehead and wiped the blob of poop off. "Let me guess how you blew that diaper up," he said while picking up one of his feet and shaking the poop off. "You're full of yellow eco?"

"You're right, mate," the guy said while holding onto his nose at the smell. "Name's Akki. Who are these two, Mer?"

"Akki, meet Roxie and Daxter," Merlander said while pointing to his two new friends. "Where is Bo?"

"She is doing her 'thinking process' again in her lab," Akki said to him. "I went in there and she almost killed me for making so much noise. Don't get on her bad side." Akki was right around Roxie's age. He had yellow eyes that glowed just like hers, and his hair was a light brown. He had long bangs in the front and his hair went short in the back. He wore a gray long sleeved shirt and blue pants with no shoes. His smile was the most thing that stood out.

"We need to clean this mess up," Merlander said while looking over the exploded stink bomb. "Can you change take care of Rose, Akki?" he asked the teen.

"Sure, mate!" Akki said cheerfully. As he past Roxie and Daxter, he gave Roxie a wink and ruffled Daxter's ears. Daxter gave him an annoyed glare and Roxie just gave him a flirty smile and slowly followed Merlander out of the room.

Daxter hopped up to Roxie's shoulder and said into her ear, "I saw that."

Roxie was snapped out her daydream and asked innocently, "What?"

"You like him," Daxter said with a sly smile and he folded his arms in front oh him. Roxie started to protest and he rolled his eyes. "Oh, right, sure," he said while patting Roxie on the head and jumping to Merlander's shoulder to get a better look because he was taller than Roxie.

"Okay," Merlander said as they came to another door in the hallway. "Bo likes her peace and quiet when she is thinking for a good way to fix a gadget or build a new one, so only whisper and don't say anything to upset her."

Daxter shrugged his shoulders and Roxie nodded. Merlander opened the door slowly and walked in on his tiptoes. Roxie did the same. The room was small with tables that had junk piled on them. A few test tubes with different liquids in them were on one table. The ceiling was high, and ways above the three were different failed experiments hanging by ropes. At the far end of the room was a massive bookshelf with every book known to elf.

"NO!" someone yelled at the top of her lungs, and a book came flying out of nowhere and hit Daxter square in the nose. "That is not it! ARGE! This is taking up too much time!" Daxter flew off Merlander's shoulder with a tiny yell of surprise and hit the floor with his back

Daxter got up while rubbing his sore nose and turned to Roxie and said quietly, "I have to be cursed or something." Roxie smiled and they started to walk to the bookshelf. Daxter's claws made a tip-tapping sound on the stone floor.

"What the heck!" came the voice again. "Why can't I find the book I want?" Finally the three made their ways to the bookshelf and saw a girl sitting crossed legged on a huge rug with about a thousand books all around her.

"Bo?" Merlander asked in only a whisper. "Can I have a minute?"

Bo's back was facing the three. She winced when she heard Merlander. She opened her mouth to shout at him like she always did when he bugged her. Before a sound came out of her mouth, she spotted Daxter in front of her. She screamed instead while swinging a fist at him with surprise.

Daxter ducked and yelled, "Cut it out!" Bo looked at him with wide blue eyes. "Sheesh!" Daxter went on while putting his hands on his hips. "You could have killed me!"

"I could have given you a bump on you head and that is all," Bo said while closing her eyes, and in her brain she thought back to the moment. "I did not put much weight into my punch, and it was only for getting you away from me. Now, if I put all my weight into my swing I could have knocked you out, but not have killed you. If I hit your nose I could have instantly killed you. It is all about physics."

Bo opened her eyes and said in a rush of words, "I have the perfect gadget to get that gross smell off your fur!"

"Whoa, you used that gadget once and it did not work. Daxter will clean himself up later," Merlander told Bo while grabbing Daxter and putting the animal back on his shoulder. "I came in here for a reason."

"Well, duh!" Bo said while standing up. "Because I know you too much to know you would not come in here just to say 'hi'. You have only done that two times in the past six months, so the next time you will come in here to say 'hi' will be…"

Merlander rolled his eyes and clammed his hand over Bo's mouth to shut her up. "You talk too much," he said and Daxter laughed, as Roxie just stared at Bo with amazement. "Now stop pulling filing cabinets open in your brain and just talk normal." He then let Bo speak.

Bo looked to be around 12 or 13 in human years because she was, well, human. The story for humans is a thing almost no elves know. Some of the humans still left in Haven City still don't know what happened way in the past.

It began when a group of evil aliens that traveled around the universe found the planet Earth. Earth was the home for all humans. The aliens wanted the humans to be their slaves, so they attacked them. The human race is a strong set of people. They fought back with everything they had. The aliens finally gave up and just decided to blow Earth up.

The very smartest on the planet saw it coming and quickly got as much people as they could to go to another planet for safety. They came to the planet the elves lived on and soon became part of them. But over the thousands of years, humans figured out the air on the elf planet made them die faster. They also figured out the air somehow made them way smarter than the average elf.

So now humans only live to be 40 years old. When they are around 30 they are the smartest they will ever be. They use a ton more percent in their brains at that age. So at age 12 you were very smart.

Bo had long red hair that was put up in a ponytail. She wore tight white pants and a tight white shirt that showed her midriff. She wore tight, white gloves that went up to her elbows and her black boots came to her knees. She had a pair of red tinted goggles around her neck. Her ears were very short compared to elves.

"Sorry, Mer," Bo said while quickly changing her attitude. "I don't realize it when I go into that mood. So what do you need?"

"Uh…" Merlander said while scratching behind his back. "Rose had a big one, and Roxie and I conquered it but we did not know where to put the diaper, so we kept throwing it to each other. I then saw a trashcan, so I threw it there. Akki walked in just at that time and he blew it up with his eco power."

Bo rubbed her forehead while she muttered, "Idiots." She then looked up and put on a grim smile and said, "I just fixed up a gadget a week ago for this kind of thing. I never got around to giving it to you because I've been so busy looking for an answer for another gadget of mine. Follow me."

She walked to a table and muttered something about cleaning up then went at it. She pulled all kinds of things off the table and gave them to Merlander. He grunted something when the weight was getting too heavy for him. Bo then started giving things to Roxie.

"How much junk do you have?" Daxter asked Bo.

Bo ignored him and finally found what she was looking for. She pulled out a big machine that looked like a giant gun with a huge barrel. "I was sick of changing Rose's diaper so I made up this!" she said as Roxie and Merlander looked at the thing in her hands with amazement. Daxter just looked confused.

"What is it?" Daxter asked while leaning on Merlander's leg.

Bo looked to the ceiling to find an answer but found none. "I don't know," she finally said. "I did not name it yet." Merlander looked at her with a strange expression on his face. Roxie bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"What does it do?" Daxter asked. "Suck the baby into the gun and changes the diaper for you? That would be nice."

"Close," Bo said with coldness in her voice, as she glared down at him. "But no. You put Rose on a table, crank this baby up, then pull the trigger!" She demonstrated it for them. She had a baby dummy and she put a cloth on its bottom to show them. She put the huge gun up to it and started to push a bar on the side of the gun up and down. She then pulled the trigger.

A huge sucking noise filled the room and the whole baby dummy was sucked up into the gun. Roxie and Merlander gasped as they saw this with horror in their eyes. Bo shouted a few colorful words as she tried to turn it off. Without thinking she turned around and pointed it to Daxter by mistake.

"Turn it off!" Daxter yelled over the sound of the machine. His body then started to be sucked into the gun. Bo was paying more attention to the gun and had no idea that Daxter was being sucked into her machine.

Merlander lunged for Daxter, but was too late. Daxter was pulled into the gun with his final words as, "I knew I was cursed!" Seconds after Daxter was sucked into the gun, Bo figured out how to stop it. The sucking noise died down and a glass box popped out of the barrel of the gun.

"Opps," Bo said as she picked up the glass box, and a hint of a smile crept across her face.

"Get me out of here!" came a tiny voice from inside the box. Daxter was crunched up in there with the dummy. He could not move one inch and it even hurt to talk. Merlander stared at the box with a bit of shock and Roxie just started to laugh in an out-of-control matter.

"I'll have to get the key to get him out," Bo said slowly as the wheels in her brain started to turn. With all her work she had forgotten where she put the key. "Give me a minute."

"Oh, great," Daxter muttered while wincing from his very uncomfortable spot in the box.

"It is a good thing we did not try this on Rose," Merlander said with worry in his voice. "Are you okay, Dax?" he asked the orange fuzz ball while picking up the box carefully.

"What does it look like?" Daxter managed to get out of his mouth.

"Ha!" Roxie laughed as she pointed to Daxter. "You look so funny!" Daxter narrowed his eyes at her and let out a sigh. Bo rolled her eyes from where she was at another table looking at a chain full of keys. Sometimes elves did not act their age.

"I found the right key," Bo said while coming to Merlander. She put the key into the tiny keyhole and the lid popped open. Daxter jumped out as quickly as he could and landed on Merlander's head with a bit of fright in his eyes when he saw Bo pick up the gun again.

"Don't come near me with that thing!" he shouted while pointing an index finger at the gun with dread. Roxie laughed harder and had to hold onto her sides. Merlander grabbed Daxter and set the creature on his shoulder.

"I'm just putting it on a different table," Bo stated and put the gun on a table right next to the one it used to be on. "I'll work on it latter."

"But how are we going to clean up Rose's mess now?" Merlander asked.

"Simple," Bo said with an evil smile. "You get a broom, mop, and bucket full of water. It is quite easy."

"Funny," Daxter said dryly.

Bo picked up something from a table, and it looked like a can of hair spray. She aimed it at Daxter and a cloud of white mist sprayed out. Daxter tried to get away, but he was too slow. To his amazement, though, his fur suddenly cleaned up and it went back to a nice looking orange. "I was sick of your smell," Bo said with no emotion.

"Hey!" Daxter said, as he looked himself over with a smile. "That was cool. Do it again." Bo rolled her eyes as a response. She walked over to her rug and sat crossed legged with her back towards the three.

"Leave," was the last thing she said to them. She was an odd one. Humans were always that way. They always had ideas of every sort bouncing around in their heads. It was very hard for a human to think on one thing. Bo needed her time alone to dwell on something. The three obeyed her and walked out of the room.

"That was productive," Roxie stated as they closed the door. She put her hands on her hips and asked Merlander, "What do we do next?"

Merlander looked to his watch and said, "I have to get you home, because it is almost five," Merlander said. "You change back into your tiny form while I go back to being a KG."

"Merlander!" Simon yelled from down the hall. "Can I speak to you alone?"

"Sure," Merlander said. He turned to Roxie and Daxter and said, "I'll be right back. Just find a way to entertain yourselves while I'm gone." Daxter jumped to the ground then zipped up Roxie's side to her shoulder. Merlander walked swiftly over to Simon to talk.

"Daxter, can you do me a favor?" Roxie asked Daxter in a whisper.

"It depends on what I have to do," Daxter said while giving his friend a glance.

"I still don't know Merlander," Roxie said. "When we go back I want you to sneak into Merlander's backpack, and figure out what he does when I'm not around."

Daxter thought about it for two seconds and instantly loved the idea. A sly and totally wicked smile came across Daxter's face and he said, "Your wish will be granted." He then bowed and Roxie smiled to herself.

While the two were making a deal, Merlander and Simon were talking quietly to each other about Roxie. "She is a mindspeaker, Merlander," Simon said to the teen. "Just like I am. She does not know it, though."

"How do you know?" Merlander asked while glancing over to Roxie with his perfect violet eyes filled with confusion.

"When a mindspeaker does not know their gift they always send out all thoughts to other mindspeakers," Simon said to Merlander. "So I'm hearing every thought of hers. It is not hard to miss it when you're a mindspeaker." He rubbed his forehead and said to Merlander with a chuckle, "I'm sick of hearing how cute Akki is from that girl."

Merlander gave a fake chuckle as a bit of jealousy flew up in him. Somehow Akki got all the girls. How come no one liked Merlander? Maybe it was because he was always busy and had no time to dwell on girls. He just did not think it was fair.

"I'm sure she likes you too, Merlander," Simon said to Merlander while patting him on the back. "She just does not trust you enough. Don't be too jealous of Akki."

"Yeah," Merlander said while faking a smile. "So what should I tell Roxie?"

"Slowly tell her she is a mindspeaker," Simon said to him. "Then train her so she knows everything about a mindspeaker. I'll give you some tips on teaching her. Bo should have a few books on it too."

Merlander rolled his eyes and said, "I doubt it. She has so many Earth books in that bookcase of hers, she could not even tell you how many she has. She tried so many times to get me to read Star Wars, whatever that is. And she tells me to read series like, Pit Dragon, Red Wall, and Pen Dragon. She would never have something on mindspeakers."

"You would be surprised," Simon said. "Now go. It is close to five." Merlander gave Simon a warm smile and left with Roxie and Daxter. Simon stood there with his hands behind his back and a smug smile on his face. "You will be surprised," he said with more evil in his voice. "You will be surprised."

A/N: I have to leave here. Next chapter will be funny. Daxter goes with Merlander and spies on his not-so-average family. Please give a review!


	18. Chapter 18 Merlander's Family

A/N: I'm SO sorry for not updating last weekend. I had this project due really soon for school and I had no time all this week to update. The week before I had a bad case of Writer's Block and could just not find a way to set this chapter up. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting.

I hope this chapter is kind of funny to you. I redid it about five times and finally settled with this one. Thanks for all those reviews for the last chapter. I'm going to respond as best as I can to each one.

Yomiori-Wolfdemon: Everyone is insane. Don't beat yourself up for it. Your fan fiction is going great. For your next chapter put some of your writing skills to work and put in a fun chapter. It is where you build character and it really has to do nothing with the fic. But at the end of your chapter plug in your first thing of plot. Ask yourself "How will I introduce my plot to my readers?" After that, go with it. Come to me if you need more help. Thanks for reviewing.

Rob the Hedgehog: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Daxter is my favorite character in the games as well. That is why I had to put this fic up. I'm trying hard to put Daxter's character into place. In this chapter you don't see him much, but in the next one I'm going to put him in more. And I don't have a character named Mog in this fic. There is Meg, who is Roxie's mom, but she is just a minor character. Oh well, but thanks for reviewing.

Authraw: don't trust Simon. That is all I have to say. Thanks for reviewing!

WRTD: that diaper thing was funny. My little sister laughed so hard when I read it to her. Merlander will get more and more jealous of Akki. It is just another minor plot in the story. Thanks for reviewing!

Don't own anything from Jak2. Please R&R! Thanks!

Chapter 18

"Merlander!" Roxie shouted over the wind of his KG zoomer. He looked back at Roxie and she said with worry, "It is five!"

"Hang on!" Merlander said as he speed up his zoomer. "I'll find an empty street or something." He quickly flew into a dark alleyway, and Roxie went through her transformation in two seconds. Daxter jumped to Merlander's shoulder as Merlander had to put Roxie in front of him so she would not fall off.

"Aw!" Daxter said to Roxie. "You look so cute when you're little!"

Merlander laughed as he saw Roxie snap out with her fingers and yelled into Daxter's head something. Daxter jumped back as the tiny form of Roxie said something. "Okay," Daxter said. "I get it. Just don't yell like that. It gives me a headache." Roxie gave Daxter an evil smile and put her fingers up to Merlander's forehead.

"Let's go," came Roxie's voice into Merlander's head. Merlander looked down at Roxie for two seconds then drove off with his zoomer to her house just a little ways from where they were. He drove there and stopped. Daxter quickly snuck into Merlander's backpack without a sound.

Roxie put her fingers up to Merlander's forehead and said to him through his mind, "I loved the ride. See you tomorrow." She then hopped off the zoomer.

"Where is Dax?" Merlander asked Roxie. She just pointed to her door to say that he was already inside the house. Merlander nodded and said, "I'll be around. You go to school, right?" Roxie nodded. "I can pick you up before you go." Roxie nodded again then opened her door and walked in.

* * *

"Mom!" Merlander called above the music in his mom's store. "Where is my KG suit?"

Silence was his only response. The only thing he could hear was the music cranked up to full power. Merlander rolled his eyes while he looked around in the store for his red armor. Merlander flung his backpack into a dressing room as he found his armor. Daxter had to bite his lip to keep from yelling as the pack he was in smashed to the floor.

"It should be on the floor next to a dressing room, Mer," came a voice from the counter.

"I already found it, mom," Merlander called out with a bit of frustration in his voice. "Thanks for your help."

"You're too kind, Mer," his mom said. Merlander rolled his eyes once more and started to clip on his armor and only took off his light jacket. When he was done, Merlander grabbed his backpack in one hand and held his helmet in the other.

"Mer, darling!" his mom shouted to Merlander. "Your uncle just called me! He wants you to meet him at the prison right now. I hope it is for a good reason."

Merlander's stomach jumped when he heard what she said. "I'm on my way!" he shouted to his mother over the music. He did not want to meet the Baron at the prison. On his way out the door, Merlander bumped into someone.

"Mer!" Ashlen said when she saw him. Merlander stopped to talk to her. He liked talking with his cousin. She knew he was in Black Water. Merlander knew she was part of the Underground. The two knew where the other stood in the war and did not try to change the other.

"How's it going?" Merlander asked Ashlen. "How is the fight on the other side?" He made sure not to say anything about the Underground because he knew his mom could hear everything what he said.

"Fine," Ashlen said slowly while thinking it over. She gave him a nod and pushed a lock of red hair out of her face with a blue, gloved hand. "I just heard that the Baron called you to the prison."

"Yeah," Merlander said. "Do you have any idea what it is for?"

"Knowing my dad," Ashlen said while she rolled her eyes, "He would want someone to take Erol's place. He will not pick me because he knows I don't want Erol's job." She gave a sigh. She quickly changed the subject by asking, "Did you find the girl you were after?"

"Yeah," Merlander said with another fake smile. On the outside everyone knew Merlander as just some sweet teen that was a Krimson Guard all the time. On the outside Merlander had a whole different personality. No one knew the real him.

"You have to go," Ashlen said as she looked to a clock by the door. Merlander said goodbye and ran towards the door in a hurry. "And Mer!" she called to him. He looked back to her and she said quietly, "You're the greatest little cousin I've ever had. Don't hurt yourself by being bodyguard. Good luck."

* * *

"Thanks!" Merlander called over his shoulder. He shoved his helmet on his head and jumped onto his zoomer. He turned the keys with a sigh. He then headed towards the prison.

"Ah, Merlander," Baron Praxis called when he saw his nephew walk into the torture chamber. "You came just in time."

Merlander gulped down some bit of fear and asked with a steady voice, "Just in time for what?" He took off the helmet and set it on his hip and waited for an answer from the Baron.

"Just yesterday Erol found a good, strong Underground worker, and I've put him into my Dark Warrior project. Do you know what that is, Merlander?"

Merlander cringed as he saw a guy being dragged by two Krimson Guards to a seat in the middle of the torture room. He was strapped in after much protesting. Daxter dared to stick his head out of the backpack and looked over Merlander's shoulder to see what was going on. It was the same room from the vision Roxie gave him with Jak in it.

"I know what the project is," Merlander said slowly.

"It is truly wonderful," the Baron said with a smile. He had his back towards Merlander, so Daxter leaned sideways to get a better look and frowned. "Don't you think it is one of my greatest ideas, Merlander?"

The Baron turned to face Merlander. Daxter zipped back into his backpack. Merlander avoided the question and said with some sternness to his voice, "What did you call me down here for, sir?"

Baron Praxis narrowed his eyes at Merlander with anger for a few seconds. He knew Merlander did not like the Dark Warrior project. A dark purple spark zapped up from behind the Baron and a cry of pain was heard from the captured Underground worker. The Baron smiled as the yell echoed around the room. Merlander just dropped his head and looked to the floor.

"I'll tell you why after a few minutes," the Baron said to Merlander as he turned around and watched the torturing go on. It was finally over and Merlander wanted to barf. Daxter just sat in the backpack with worry for Jak. His friend had to go through that torture.

The two Krimson Guards carried out the man, and it was only Merlander and Baron Praxis in the room. Merlander looked up at his uncle and bit his lower lip to keep from saying anything.

"Now, my nephew," the Baron said as he circled Merlander with his hands behind his back. "You know Erol will be out for two to three days. I need someone to take his place. That someone I picked is you."

Merlander's stomach dropped when he heard this news. He opened his mouth to say something, but the Baron was not finished. "This is a great offer, you know? These few days were Erol's job to find people that would be right for my project. You only need to find three." He held up three fingers to Merlander's face and Merlander clenched his teeth together in anger. His uncle was testing him.

"I would love to take over Erol's job for a few days, but I have other things to do," Merlander said while lowering the Baron's hand while looking him right in the eyes.

"What kind of things, Merlander?" Baron Praxis asked his nephew slowly while still holding eye contact.

"Stuff," Merlander said steadily with a nod.

"Oh, stuff," the Baron said while folding his hands in front of his chest and glaring down at Merlander. "What should I tell your parents? Merlander can't take over Erol's place because he has 'stuff' to do? Give me a better answer, Merlander!"

"I just can't do it, okay?" Merlander said with edge to his voice.

"No!" Baron Praxis shouted. "It is not okay. It is not an offer anymore, Merlander. It is a command! So I command you to take Erol's place!"

"What?!" Merlander shouted. He had lost it. "You can't just do that!"

"I can!" Baron shouted to Merlander while walking towards him. Merlander backed up to get away from his uncle. "And I just did! And don't you dare raise your voice to me! Is that understood?"

Merlander backed up so much that he slammed into the torture seat and fell into it by mistake. He gave a shout of surprise when he fell into the seat. "Do you understand me?!" the Baron yelled once more into Merlander's face.

Merlander's heart was racing. He shook his head yes because he was unsure if could trust his voice. Baron Praxis then stood up and said, "You should get to your family. Tell them the good news." He put out his big hand to help Merlander up and out of the seat.

Merlander hesitated on taking the hand, but finally grabbed it. The Baron squeezed Merlander's hand and yanked it up. Merlander winced as he slammed into the Baron's body.

"And you better find those people I need for my project, Merlander," he whispered into his ear. "Or you might take the their place." Merlander's eyes went wide. Daxter heard the threat and tried hard to not say something to blow his cover.

* * *

Merlander quietly opened the door to his home. He stepped into the big house and tiptoed across the hall while glancing at his little sisters. Daxter looked through a hole in the backpack at the two little girls in the living room as Merlander passed them.

One looked to be around ten in human years. She had dirty blond hair put up in a ponytail and big blue eyes on one of the most sweetest of faces. The other girl looked to be eight in human years with red hair put up in messy pigtails. Scary did not even begin to describe her. Both did not notice Merlander sneak into the house.

Merlander went into his room and closed the door. He gave a sigh of relief when he locked the door and a smile spread across his worried face. He then started to take off his armor that was over his regular clothes.

Merlander turned around and gasped. He jumped away from the figure with fright. His cute little sister was standing there with a sweet smile on her face. Merlander was breathing hard and quickly saw who it was.

"Don't do that again, Berry!" he said angrily while giving his little sister a mean glare.

"Why not?" Berry asked innocently while pushing out her lower lip. "Did I scar you?"

"Cut it out, Berry!" Merlander snapped at her. "Don't play all fake and innocent. I know how you really are. Now what do you want?"

"Nothing," Berry said while looking to the floor of the neat room. "I just came in here to let you have a cookie." From behind her back, she pulled out a plate full of sugar cookies.

Merlander narrowed his violet eyes at her and said to her sternly, "Tell me what you really want."

"Fine!" Berry shouted while throwing the plate at Merlander with some unknown strength. Merlander yelled in surprise and ducked just in time. The plate smashed against the wall and shattered into bits of pieces.

Merlander looked at his sister with anger in his eyes. She lost her temper quickly with her older brother who knew she was not the sweet thing she pretended to be. Merlander was used to her throwing things around, but his parents would think it was he and not she.

Berry suddenly lost the anger in her eyes and gave her brother a sweet and sour smile. She pulled out another bag behind her back with a set of new cookies. This one had a tag that was pink and was shaped into a heart. Merlander rolled his eyes when he saw it, but he let his sister go on.

"I heard my honey-po got sick this afternoon," Berry said while looking to the ceiling with a wistful sigh. "Give this to Erol and tell him it is from his true love." She handed the cookies to Merlander and walked out of the room while humming a toon.

Merlander shook his head and gave a sigh. "I don't know what she sees in him," he muttered to himself and Daxter smiled from where he was in the backpack. He had watched the whole thing. Things were turning out to be funny.

"We learned about cannibals today!" Merlander's other little sister, Darla, shouted for the whole world to hear at the dinner table. Merlander came into the room with a far away look in his eyes. He picked up a cracker on the table and shoved it into his mouth and headed for the door.

"Where do you think you're going, son?" Merlander's dad asked him with his big, booming voice.

Merlander stopped at the door and said, "Out."

"Come and eat with us," his mom said as she powdered her nose. "Your stuff will have to wait. We want to talk to you."

Merlander gave a heavy sigh and sat down at the table and put his backpack at his feet. "Talk," he said with a nod to his parents.

"What did uncle Praxis want you at the prison for?" his mom asked.

"I'm taking over for Erol for a few days till he gets better," Merlander said in a rush. "That sure was a great talk. I have to go now!" He got up while yanking on his heavy backpack with Daxter inside.

"That is great, son!" his dad said. "Now tell us in detail how the talk went." Merlander wrinkled up his nose to show his disgust. He had no time to talk to his parents. They did not care about him. They only cared on how they would shine through him. He was wasting his time.

"I really need to go!" Merlander pleaded to his parents.

"You are so busy all the time!" his mom said with fake amazement. "Where do you have to go now?"

"I'm going to go around the city with Ashlen," Merlander lied straight through his teeth.

"Okay, then," his dad said. "But be back at around ten tonight. Berry said that you did not come home till around two in the morning yesterday." Berry gave Merlander a smile and he glared at her for telling on him.

"I'll be back by ten," Merlander said with a nod.

"We learned about cannibals today!" Darla shouted again. She then sunk her teeth into Merlander's hand to demonstrate. Merlander shouted at her while yanking his hand away. Darla gave her brother an evil smile.

"My family is all insane!" Merlander shouted while grabbing his backpack and flying out the door in a hurry to get away. "Stupid sister!" he whispered to himself as he hopped onto his zoomer. "Stupid family. Who needs them?" He then started the zoomer and took off.

Daxter had no idea where Merlander was heading. He knew at once when they were not in the slums when the smell changed. Finally Merlander stopped the zoomer and left the backpack on the zoomer and got off. Daxter poked his head out of the backpack but saw no sign of Merlander. He had vanished.

Down in the Underground hideout Merlander was talking with Torn who was leader to the Underground. Torn was looking at his map when Merlander walked down the steps to the hideout.

"What needs to be done tonight?" Merlander asked Torn as walked up to the table of maps. "I have all night."

"What did the Baron want from you today?" Torn asked the teen with his rough voice.

Merlander did not care how Torn got the information. He shrugged his shoulders and said like it was no big deal, "I'm taking over for Erol for a few days."

Torn looked at Merlander for a few seconds with his stern, blue eyes. He then gave the teen a wry smile and said, "This could work to our advantage. You're doing great, kid."

"The only reason why he picked me was because my mom is his sister," Merlander said while folding his arms in front of him. "Now what do you need for me to do? If you have nothing for me, I have other things to get to."

"Another pack of eco ore for Krew," Torn said while throwing a small pack at Merlander. "Hip Hog Heaven Saloon. You know where to go."

"Another easy mission," Merlander said to Torn. "Anything else?"

"Nope," Torn said and returned his attention back to his maps. Merlander knew that meant talking was over. He spun on his heal and walked back up the stairs and to his zoomer. Another long night of missions was normal for Merlander. He wondered what kind of missions Krew was going to give him.

A/N: You now know Merlander works for everyone. He is on all sides. You will see more of his family in other chapters. The next chapter will have action in it. Please give a review!


	19. Chapter 19 Metal Heads Love Cookies

A/N: This is a short chapter. It is an action chapter. You learn more about Merlander. I don't own anything from Jak2. I'll try to return reviews. Please R&R.

Yomiori Wolfdemon: I read your chapter and saw that you took my advice. Keep up the good work. Thanks for the review!

Took Baggins: You were the first to notice that Darla is totally based of that girl from Finding Nemo! She has the same name and everything. I wonder why no one noticed it but you. Thanks for reviewing.

Rob the Hedgehog: Mog is not the name of the mapmaker. His name is Mod. I got the name from a villain off of Teen Titans. I thought it went with him. Sorry for all the confusion. It is fun writing for a mute. It gives me a challenge. And writing out his thoughts is really fun. And Daxter does not stay in the bag for too long.

WRTD: I had to have at least one strange person to like Erol. I cracked myself up writing that chapter. And Merlander does know tons of information. You figure this out at the end of this chapter. Thanks for the review and Merry Christmas to you too!

Red Hawk K'sani: I will not show Merlander's true colors till later on in the story. But he does have a side. I'll drop in clues along the way. This chapter will not be a Jak one. Next one will kind of be one. It will be half Jak and half Daxter and friends. Thanks for reviewing!

Chapter 19

Merlander switched to a different zoomer that was not painted in blood red and fully saying that Merlander was a Krimson Guard. The worry look in the teen's eyes slowly went away as he sat on the zoomer on his way to the saloon. He got into some air traffic when he flew out of the Slums. He yawed out of boredom and put his fingers through his hair while waiting to go.

"Fire!" came a shout from the ground. Merlander's ears heard the command and looked down with wide eyes. An orange laser hit Merlander's zoomer and made it fly backwards.

"Crap!" Merlander yelled as he swerved his zoomer out of the line of stalled zoomers. "This is just not my day," he muttered to himself as he ducked to get out of the way of more fire from the ground. He slammed his foot on the gas and sped off.

"Mer!" came Torn's voice from a floating communicator that popped up next to Merlander's zoomer. "Get your ass out of there! Somehow they know it is you who is giving the eco ore to Krew. Come back here."

"I'll do things my way," Merlander said to Torn. "I'll call you back when I get to Krew's." He then hung up on Torn and made a sharp turn. He pulled out his pistol and fired at an elf that was driving a Krimson Guard zoomer at Merlander's. The guy fell out with a yell and the zoomer stopped coming at Merlander.

Merlander gave a two-finger salute to some Krimson Guards that he past by. Before they could fire he was already gone around another corner. A smile came to Merlander's face as he flew out into an open water area that just circled around. He saw a big sign that said in elfish 'Hip Hog Heaven Saloon'. He flew up to the door and jumped off the zoomer.

Merlander took out a communicator and pressed a button and said into it, "Made it." He then slipped it back into his pocket and picked up the package. He left the zoomer and backpack at the door and walked in.

"Another package in top condition for your royal fatness," Merlander said with a bow. He held up the small package to a guy who looked very strong. He had tan skin and wide shoulders. He took the package from Merlander and gave a chuckle.

"Ooo!" came a creepy voice from behind the big guy. "Torn came through again, eh?"

"Yeah," Merlander answered while coming up from his bow and putting his hands on his hips. "Somehow the Krimson Guards found out that it was I who was getting the package to you. You're going to have to pay Torn more for these kind of things soon."

"I already pay him enough," came the creepy voice that belonged to Krew. "He is eating up my money!" Sig, who was the big guy holding the package, went into another room in the back to unload the package.

"I'm sure he is eating up your money like you eat lunch," Merlander said with a wide smile on his face. Krew gave him a warning glare to make him shut up.

Krew was a big guy. Not just your average overweight guy. This guy was…like…BIG! He was so big that he could not walk. He had to fly around on a machine that let the only thing little on his body (his feet) dangle down. His rolls of fat jiggled every time he moved.

"How was your day?" Merlander asked Krew with a smug smile, and he put his hands behind his back while waiting for an answer. The Hip Hog Heaven Saloon was a small place. It was simple with wooden floors and a few booths. The bar had a few stools and a girl was cleaning behind the counter. She gave Merlander a smile and pushed a lock of blond hair out of her hair before going back to her work. (A/N: it is Tess if you didn't figure it out yet.)

"I had breakfast," Krew answered Merlander's question and was totally oblivious to the sarcasm. "Then I slept. Then ate and went back to sleep after that. I then ate again…"

"Okay, average day, then?" Merlander interrupted with a laugh. He loved teasing Krew. It was normal for Merlander to get Krew all upset then get kicked out of the Saloon with a mission that would last the night. "You always eat and sleep. You're like a cat from Earth."

Krew turned his head towards Merlander and glared at him with his evil eyes. "What are you standing around here for, eh? Go!" he growled at Merlander.

"I just love standing here and smelling the luscious scent from your body," Merlander said with each word dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't speak to me like that, boy!" Krew said to Merlander while curling his plumpy hands into fists. "And for that talk I'm going to give you a mission. A hard mission."

"You're too kind," Merlander said with a fake smile.

"Go to the Pumping Station and take down three big Metal Heads and drag them back here," Krew said. "My other ones are starting to rot and the smell is gagging me." He started to fan himself with the little fan he always carried with him.

"Are you sure the smell was not from you?" Merlander asked him.

"What was that?" Krew asked in a deathly tone to his voice.

"Nothing," Merlander said while a one-shoulder shrug. "Go on."

Krew gave him a glare and kept going. "If you do this for me, I might think of giving you a gun upgrade. How 'bout it, eh?"

"I love risking my life for you, Krew!" Merlander said with a fake excitement. "When can I do it again?"

"Stop messing with him, Mer," Sig said to him as he walked into the room. Krew flew off to a corner of the room to talk to some guys at a booth. "Don't hurt yourself out there, kid," Sig said while patting Merlander on the shoulder. "You know what I always say about killing Metal Heads."

"Surprise is the best attack," Merlander said with a nod. Sig was like Merlander's second dad. The one who paid attention to him and showed him everything he needed. Sig trained Merlander when he was only 10 in elf years.

"Now go get 'em, kid!" Sig called to Merlander as the teen ran for the door. Merlander gave Sig a nod and walked out.

* * *

Merlander parted a big leaf out of his way and crouched low to the sandy ground while looking straight ahead at the group of Metal Heads. He was in the Pumping Station and ready to get himself some Metal Heads. He had his big gun out and his fingers wrapped around the handle and barrel of the gun. His pistol rested at his side and ready to be pulled out at anytime.

The air was cold because it was at night. He knew fall was coming because it was cold enough for him to see his breath in white, puffy clouds that lingered in the air for two seconds and finally vanished. It was dark all around Merlander. A few lanterns hung around the Pumping Station, but mostly it was a black nightmare. The moon was behind clouds that locked the light into the sky.

Merlander made no sound as he slowly crept forward to the group of Metal Heads. The yellow skulls shone brightly in the dark and Merlander counted ten. Three were big with four crab claws as feet instead of paws. Those were the ones Krew wanted.

"Surprise is the best form of attack," Merlander said in barely a whisper to himself. He checked his gun to see how much ammo he had left and swore silently when he found out that he only had five bullets in it. His pistol had plenty, but it took a lot to kill some of the big ones.

The ammo for Merlander's big gun was Metal Head skulls shaped into bullets, and they could be hand carved or you could buy them. Merlander made his own ammo. Some elves found out that if you pierce a Metal Head skull into a Metal Head it would poison it and the thing would quickly die.

Merlander closed his eyes to sooth his nerves. He breathed in slowly and let it out slowly while opening up his eyes. He watched his white breath till it vanished and then finally looked back to the group of Metal Heads.

He fiddled with the strap to his backpack then took aim at one of the bigger Metal Heads. He noticed that something was missing before he fired. He counted the Metal Heads again, and when he counted nine he recounted to make sure.

"Where is the last one?" Merlander whispered to himself with confusion.

BAM! A Metal Head slammed into Merlander's back and sent him flying out of the bushes and into the clearing of Metal Heads. Merlander hit the hard sand with his arms that were protecting his face. He slid across the sand while his gun got lost. Everything in his backpack flew out, including Daxter with a loud yell of surprise.

Merlander winced as sand rubbed into his bleeding elbows. He knew the sting was nothing to what he was about to go through. He could hear the growls of the Metal Heads as they looked down at him. Then another voice entered into his ears.

"Nice Metal Heads," came Daxter's voice. Merlander looked up and saw Daxter giving the monsters around him a nervous smile. "Now you really don't want to eat me. I don't taste good, and I have too much fur."

"Where did you come from?" Merlander asked the Osttel with complete confusion in his violet eyes. "I thought you were with Roxie!"

"I was spying," Daxter said as he grabbed the bag of cookies that was from Berry to Erol. "Want a cookie?"

"Does it look like I want a cookie when we are about to get killed by Metal Heads?" Merlander asked while slowly getting up from the sand. The Metal Heads had formed a circle around the two and their mouths were dripping saliva. Merlander spotted his gun just a few feet away from his foot.

"I was not asking you for a cookie, you selfish yakcow!" Daxter said harshly while giving Merlander a glare. "I was asking the…whatever you call 'um."

"Metal Heads?" Merlander asked with confusion returning his eyes.

"I know what they are called! I was just testing you," Daxter said while reaching into the bag. "Have a cookie," he said while tossing a cookie at a Metal Head. The monster looked down at the cookie with puzzlement. He sniffed the cookie then ate it quickly. Then a faint of a smile went across its lips as he begged for more.

Merlander broke into a huge smile as he nudged Daxter with his foot. "Give them more," he said with a nod. "Give them the whole bag if you have to."

"Did you hear that, Metal Heads?" Daxter said to the creatures around him. "Merlander wants to share now." He then started to throw the cookies to each Metal Head. As the Metal Heads ate the cookies Merlander grabbed his gun and fired three times at three big Metal Heads.

Before any of the Metal Heads could figure out what was going on, Merlander had a bullet in them. One Metal Head jumped for Daxter, but Merlander grabbed the Osttel by his tail and threw him to a rock ledge to get him out of the way.

"Die!" Merlander yelled as he went trigger-happy with his pistol. He was like lightning as he turned one way then the other. He jumped out of the way of another Metal Head lunging for him and shot it before it hit the ground. He then whipped around and killed two more.

"To your left!" Daxter called from where he was above the mess. Merlander turned quickly and killed the Metal Head who had gotten really close.

"Thanks!" Merlander yelled over the gunfire. He ran out of bullets and quickly grabbed another cartridge that was in the strap around his shoulder. He shoved the new set of bullets in and started another round at the three Metal Heads that were left to destroy.

One Metal Head came close to Merlander and took a swipe at him. Merlander jumped back just in time, and the claws of the creature cut into the front of Merlander's shirt and ripped it. Merlander shoved his pistol into the Metal Head's mouth and fired down the monster's throat.

"You do not want to get me P.O.!" Merlander yelled to the Metal Head that slumped over dead. Merlander kicked the beast while breathing hard.

"Behind you!" Daxter yelled down to his friend while pointing at the last Metal Head that had been hiding in the bushes.

Merlander quickly turned on his heal and fired at the last Metal Head with a battle cry. Merlander gave a sigh of relief and put his pistol into his leg holster. He rubbed his forehead while walking over to pick up his gun that he had dropped.

Daxter slid down the rock hill and ran up to Merlander. "You're fast," he stated while pointing up to Merlander.

Merlander picked up his gun with a sigh and asked, "Why were you spying on me?"

Daxter gave Merlander a sheepish grin and said, "Roxie asked me to do it."

Merlander put his gun away and started to gather everything that had fallen out of his backpack. His clothes were stained with Metal Head blood that left a gross smell behind. "Why would she want you to spy on me?" Merlander asked Daxter without looking over to him.

"Whoa!" Daxter said while putting his hands up in defense. "Why are you so worked up about this whole thing with me spying on you?"

Merlander glared over to Daxter and shouted, "Incase haven't noticed, I work for everyone. I work on all sides. I know everything that is going on in his city. I know every detail of this city. But I have no sides, so I can't tell anyone. I even know who your looking for. His name is Jak, and he is part of the Baron's Dark Warrior Project."

"How do you know that?" Daxter asked in disbelieve.

"I just know things," Merlander said while taking out a knife. He started to cut off different parts to the big Metal Heads. "The only place I don't know about is Black Water. That is the only place I call home. So I don't try to figure out anything from there."

"You know how important you are for information?" Daxter asked. "You know tons of things."

"No one cares about me, though," Merlander said while putting all the Metal Head parts into his backpack. "And no one should know. So how are we going to settle this?"

"Huh?" was Daxter's only response.

"How am I going to make you quiet about all this?" Merlander asked while giving Daxter a sly smile.

"You know where Jak is?" Daxter asked with hope.

"Yeah."

"Is there any way you can try to get him back here?"

A smile came to Merlander's face. "I bet I can. I can pull a few strings while I'm taking over for Erol. Maybe Torn was right. This could work to my advantage."

"Done!" both said at once while shaking hands. The deal was made. Daxter had a little bit of hope.

A/N: Hope you liked the action. Next chapter will be half of Fort: Dark Warrior and the other half will be in Haven City. It will be a two in one thing. Please give a review. Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year! Here comes 2005! Sweet!


	20. Chapter 20 Amelia and A Promise

A/N: A two in one chapter for my good readers. It is really short, but my next one will be very long. I don't have time answer reviews. I don't own anything from Jak2. Please R&R. Thanks!

Chapter 20

Location: Fort Dark Warrior

Jak was pulled out of the mass of people and he came face to face with the General with the whip from day two. "The Master wants you," he barked into Jak's face. He kept his firm grip on Jak's arm and dragged him to the fourth part of the Fort.

_Not that place!_ Jak thought while he shook his head. _Tubal said he saw a guy go in there and never came out. Maybe I did something wrong. Great._

Jak was pulled into a set of big, double doors that opened for the two. Jak dug his heels into the ground when they were right at the doors. He wanted to shout a protest, but nothing could get out of his mouth.

"C'mon!" the General said while rolling his eyes. He yanked on Jak's arm, and the teen had no more fight in him. Jak stumbled forward and almost fell to the muddy ground. He got his balance back and was pulled once again by the General. "I don't have all day, kid," the General growled.

Jak was about to fight back, but the sight of the thing in front of him made him stop to look over it. The whole fourth part of the Fort was set aside for a big house estate for someone. A big white house stood in the middle with around five floors and a wrap around porch. A barn stood off on the side, and yakcows grazed over to the other side. The ground was filled with rich green grass, and a water fountain stood in the middle of a courtyard in front of the big house.

_How can someone live like this when a group of slaves suffer right next door?_ Jak thought in disgust as they passed the courtyard. _This place makes me sick! I would love to punch the guy who owns all this._

They entered the house and went up two flights of stairs. Everything was polished and sparkled clean. Paintings hung on every wall with many colors and different meanings to each. The floor was made of red carpet, and not a speck of dust was anywhere to be seen.

_Can you say neat freak?_ Was the only thing going through Jak's head.

The General went down a hallway and he seemed to know where he was going. Jak had no idea how he knew. Every hallway looked exactly the same as the other. He stopped at a door and went in.

The room was a study of some kind. A desk was to one side with papers on it. Jak saw a folder on top of all the papers with his picture paper clipped to the front, and printed in red letters on the front said _Dark Warrior Project_.

There were a few bookcases around the room, and a window looked over the garden in the backyard. A globe of the elf world sat on top of a stand in the middle of the room. Two elves were already in the room waiting for him.

One was a girl who looked to be in her late 20's in Human years with short red hair that was pushed back behind her long ears. Her outfit was a white shirt under a long blue jacket with gold rope on the ends. She had white gloves that were first tight then puffed out all the way to her elbows. She wore long black boots that came up over her knees. She held her hands behind her back and looked over to Jak when he came in with stern, green eyes. This was not a woman to mess with.

The other elf was sitting behind the desk in a big chair. He had his feet propped up on his desk with his hands folded together in his lap. He was strong looking with wide shoulders. He looked tall, but Jak could not be sure because he was sitting down. He had dull blue eyes, and a thick mass of dark, brown hair and beard. He glared at Jak when he came in, and Jak looked down to the ground to avoid from meeting any of their eyes.

The girl cleared her throat to start and stood up taller than before. "May I please have Jak's folder, Mr. Devo," she said with a steady voice. The man behind the desk grabbed the folder with Jak's picture and tossed it over to the lady. She quickly caught it with one hand and narrowed her eyes at the man.

"Let's start here, shall we?" she asked while flipping through the folder to one spot she liked. She looked up at the man then to Jak who just gave a one-shoulder shrug. He had no idea what was going on.

"Fine, Amelia," the man behind the desk said in a grouchy voice. "Just tell the me and the kid why you're here."

"Address me as Miss Amelia, Mr. Devo," Amelia said while giving him a nod. "The reason why I'm here is because of a young elf in Haven City. He was taking over for Erol and looked over the Dark Warrior files and found this one."

"And who might this young elf be?" Devo asked while putting his feet off his desk.

"His name is Merlander," Amelia said with another nod. "But his name does not matter right now. What matters is that this teen is too young to be in this fort, Mr. Devo! You can't keep him here."

Jak's ears perked up, and he lifted his head while glancing over to the girl. This could be his ticket out of here. He had hope of getting out of the mess he was in. He tried to stop a smile from coming to his lips.

"And where does it say that the kid is too young?" Devo asked while folding his arms in front of his chest while glaring at Amelia.

"The _teen_ is only nineteen in Elf years!" Amelia said in disbelieve that Devo would ask such a question. "Don't play dumb. I'll take Jak right now and head for Haven City. I'll set up a good family for him, and I'll think about charging crimes against you, Mr. Devo."

"But the kid is perfectly fine here!" Devo said while getting out of his seat and coming from behind the desk. "He has somewhere to sleep, food on his plate, and plenty of fresh air and exercise! Don't you, kid?" He nudged Jak's arm to get him to say something.

_Hah!_ Jak thought while giving Devo a death glare that told him to back off. _I get a hard floor to sleep on. I get tofu eggs in the morning. All I do all day is work out for the Baron's stupid project! Yeah, sure! I'm _very _happy here! Go jump in a lake, dude!_

"Why does he not say something?" Devo asked Amelia.

Amelia gave a cold laugh that was mocking Devo. "It is clear you have not read the file on Jak. He is a mute."

"Mute?!" Devo yelled while looking back and forth from Jak to Amelia. "Where are his parents?"

"It does not tell," Amelia said while closing the file and setting it down on the desk. "So I will be taking Jak now, if you don't mind?" she grabbed Jak's arm and started to walk towards the door.

"Wait just a minute," Devo said while grabbing Jak's other arm. "It is not that easy."

* * *

Location: Outside Roxie's house in the Slums of Haven City

"Hop on!" Merlander said to Roxie as he rode up next to her on his Krimson Guard zoomer. He wore a new white shirt with a black jacket that had long sleeves but only came half down his body. He wore green pants with black boots and black fingerless gloves.

Roxie gave her new friend a warm smile while walking up to the zoomer. "Hang on," Merlander said while taking off his backpack and pulling Daxter out by the back of his neck. "I think this might be yours."

Roxie gave Daxter and Merlander a surprised look, and Merlander dropped Daxter into Roxie's arms. She stood there, stunned to do anything.

"It is okay, kid," Daxter said to Roxie while jumping up to Merlander's shoulder. "He forgives you." Roxie glared at both of her friends and sat in front of Merlander on the zoomer and pouted. She did not like the fact that she had gotten caught.

It took a while to get to Roxie's school. After a few minutes, Merlander finally stopped in front of the steps to the big Elf school. Roxie looked at the big building with dread in her big, green eyes. She fiddled with her books and slid off the seat of the zoomer.

"I'll be back at eleven," Merlander told Roxie. "I have Krimson Guard duty for most of the morning. Daxter can stay here or come with me."

"I'll go find a tree and sleep in it," Daxter said with a yawn. "You never sleep." He gave Merlander a wink and jumped off his shoulder in search of a tree to sleep in. Roxie looked to the ground and gave Merlander a shy smile before walking up the steps to the school.

* * *

Location: Pumping Station three days later

"I want to thank you for taking over my job when I was out for those few days," Erol was saying to Merlander as they walked side-by-side. Merlander wore his KG suit with his helmet off while Erol wore his regular outfit.

"It was no big deal," Merlander said with a shrug. "I had fun doing it."

Erol laughed out loud while taking out his pistol. "Having power has some good parts and bad parts," he told Merlander. He aimed his pistol at a Metal Head a few feet away that could not see them. He pulled the trigger and shot it right in the head.

"Good shot!" Merlander said with a nod. Erol gave his friend a smile and pulled the Metal Head skull out and put it into Merlander's backpack. Merlander returned the smile, but it was more of a sly one than friendly. Merlander had done everything the Baron told him to. He found Underground workers for his project but they had escaped for some strange reason. (Note the sarcasm!)

"How are you with your pistol?" Erol asked Merlander while jerking his head to another Metal Head. Merlander looked at Erol with some shock. This was a challenge. It was one Merlander was not going to turn down.

Merlander gave his friend a wicked smile and pulled out his pistol and aimed it to the Metal Head that was too far away to notice them. Merlander had a great set of eyes. He could see far away and did not have to take aim for too long. In two seconds the Metal Head was down.

"Easy," Merlander said to Erol while putting his pistol down.

"Where do you practice?" Erol asked while trying not to put up a fit because his lifetime friend who had always been okay at everything was now way better than him.

Merlander started to walk again and answered, "Different places. Mostly Haven Forest."

"Really?" Erol asked while raising his eyebrows in a bit of surprise. "I love the city. I can't stand having that stupid forest around. One day the Baron will finally get rid of it." Erol watched Merlander closely and saw a frown come to his friend's face. "Don't tell me you're attached to the thing, Merlander!"

Erol nudged Merlander with an elbow like they always did when teasing. They both laughed out loud but Merlander stopped laughing as quickly as it begun and said, "I've always liked the forest. It gives me a bit of fresh air everyday."

"Merlander as a tree hugger!" Erol said with a mocking voice. "I would have never guessed! Remember when you were only ten and threw a rock at that wumpbees nest? You swore that you would never love the forest again after that."

"I remembered that you dared me to do that," Merlander said with a smile. "You knew that I was going to get stung."

"But you were the stupid one and threw the rock anyways," Erol said and by this time the two old friends were dying of laughter because of the old memory.

"Elves are not that bright when they are ten," Merlander said to Erol.

"But you could not even spell your name," Erol said. "You were the worst speller in the world!"

"I still can't spell," Merlander said while pushing Erol away in a friendly manner. "Do you have a problem with it? If I recall you could not even get a F- in math. And you call me dumb! Kettle black!" They both looked at each other and cracked up laughing again.

After a long silence Merlander finally said quietly, "Why can't we be like that anymore?"

"Huh?" Erol asked with surprise. "We were always friends, and we are always going to be friends! What are you talking about?"

"Well," Merlander said while scratching behind his neck. "That whole talk before you got knocked out by that fruit. We were really in each other faces." They both remembered the long argument and yelling. It seemed like it was so long ago.

"I know you're working with Black Water, Mer," Erol finally said, and he was dead serious. "You said you were with both sides, and the Baron knows only one group out there that is for both sides."

"I don't want this war to mess up our friendship," Merlander said. "We were friends for so long!"

"But I became right hand man of the Baron," Erol said. "And you went your own way because of your own reasons. We are both very different."

"You have no idea," Merlander muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Erol asked while looking over to his friend.

"Nothing," Merlander answered. "I just wish we could stay young. Everything was simple before we knew anything of Metal Heads."

"A life with no Metal Heads would be heaven," Erol said while taking out his pistol again and shooting another Metal Head to prove that he hated them. "And a world with no Underground workers would be heaven. They tick me off! Maybe turning off the water valve to the Slums will bring them out of hiding."

Erol and Merlander arrived at the water valve, and with a sharp tug the thing turned off. "This will do nothing, you know?" Merlander said to Erol as they made their ways back. "They have people in high places in the Underground."

"Right now it is the only thing the Baron can think of," Erol said. He then stopped and said to Merlander, "I want to stay friends."

"But I'm in Black Water, and you're all for the Baron," Merlander said. "How can we stay friends?"

"I don't care," Erol said. "As long as you don't get into the Underground I'm fine with it. Let's not make this war set us apart. Friends?" Erol put his hand out for a shake. Merlander smiled and took it.

"Friends," they both said with smiles. One was evil, and the other was fake and mistrusting. This was not a start of a new friendship. It was the starting of trouble.

A/N: So what is Erol planning on doing? And why did Merlander shake in the first place? These questions will be answered soon. Next chapter will be action and very long. This chapter was just to show you how close Erol and Merlander were when they were young. But people change. These two change into whole different people, or should I say elves? Please give a review. Thanks!


	21. Chapter 21 Eco Fight

A/N: I just got my braces tightened! They put in thicker wires and they are going to kill my teeth! I want to go back in time and totally KILL the guy who had the idea of making braces to put a stop to them once and for all! That would be SWEET!

Daxter: "Now all you need is a time machine. Where are you going to find one of those?"

Me: "Internet!"

Daxter: Rolls eyes and gives a long sigh like Napoleon from that awesome movie I just watched a few nights ago.

Me: "Shut up! I don't want to hear anything from you!"

Daxter: "I did not say anything."

Me: "Just tell my wonderful readers the disclaimer."

Daxter: "Pixie Girl 13 does not own anything from Jak2. If she did I would still be wearing a pair of pants."

Me: "That was not what I told you to say, Dax! Plus, I like you two feet tall and fuzzy! Cute and fuzzy makes you…um…you!"

Daxter: "It sounds better. You suck at writing disclaimers!"

Me: "It is a disclaimer! What is there to say?"

Daxter: Shrugs. "At least you have me to add some spark to it."

Me: "Oh, thanks. Now go and leave me alone, Orange Lightning. Sorry for randomness. I've had soda and a ton of candy today! I'm just a bit hyper. Please R&R!"

Daxter: "And she will not be answering reviews! She is too busy complaining about her braces. That is all you do, Pix! Complain!"

Me: "I thought I told you to leave! And stop calling me Pix! It is annoying."

Daxter: "Pix! Pix! Pix!"

Me: Picks up hammer and smiles wickedly at Daxter. "I'm going to have myself a little fun while you people go read my new chapter."

Chapter 21

"Buy the fruit and get back here, Flash!" Merlander demanded to the kid. "Simon told us to be back at the hideout by four. Right now it is five minutes to four." Flash paid for his fruit and ran over to Merlander in a flash of blue. The lady at the stand stared at Flash with wide eyes.

"Let's go," Daxter said while pushing on Merlander's leg to get him to move. "With all these eco freaks in one place it is hard to not get stared at." All of them agreed and started to walk away. They came into the farm area of the city where fruit crops were everywhere and the roads were not paved. A big tube of water ran along the walls to put water into the water cannon that gave the crops their water for the day.

Daxter hopped onto Flash's shoulder then jumped to Merlander's shoulder that was walking right by the kid. Merlander and Bo walked side-by-side and were talking about her new gadget. Akki and Roxie followed behind them, and the girl was flirting a bit with him. They were really kicking it off together. On Akki's back he had a backpack that Rose was sitting in.

It had been two months after Daxter had spied on Merlander, and they had made that deal. Everything was going smoothly. Roxie worked for Mod, but some days he had nothing for her, so she hanged out with Black Water. Daxter tried not to think of Jak, and he knew he would see him soon if Merlander was taking care of everything.

Merlander had told Roxie about her Mind Speaking, and she was getting used to it. She would sit down with him everyday for around an hour, and he would just go over rules, and she would test everything she knew on Merlander. She learned that she could get into most heads, but for some reason every time she tried to hear Merlander his thoughts were blocked off. He knew a lot more than she knew. He was holding back something, but she did not know what.

"So how is Mind Speaking going with Merlander?" Akki asked Roxie.

"I can get into most minds," Roxie answered. "I love going into people I don't know."

"Tell me what Daxter is thinking," Akki whispered to Roxie, and she giggled.

"He is most likely thinking about food," she said.

"Just try," Akki said while nodding over to their fuzzy friend.

"Fine," Roxie said and glanced over to Daxter who had no idea of what his friend was doing. "He is just trying to picture what the planet Earth would look like," she said. "All I get from him is a picture. I guess he is talking to Bo. All she talks about is Earth."

Akki laughed and said, "Try Bo. See if her picture is different."

Roxie smiled then rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Jumbles of numbers. I get that every time! She does not block me like Merlander does. Her brain is just so far ahead of everyone's it is hard to hack into it."

"It is not numbers," Akki told her. "It is Human language. They all think that way for some reason."

"Oh," Roxie answered. "How do you know that?"

"Simon told me," Akki answered. "He gets the same thing from her all the time."

Daxter crawled over Merlander's head to his other shoulder to get a better look of Bo's new gadget. She held it up for all to see. It was a little handle with a tiny red button on the side.

"I call it a light saber!" Bo said with a smile. "It is totally my own idea." She shoved the book she had been reading lately deeper into her pack that was around her shoulder. It was Star Wars from Earth. A sly smile came to her face as she pressed the red button on her new gadget. A blue stick came out and made a buzzing sound. It was small to the ones she read about in her book. The blue stick was only half the size of the real one.

"Wicked!" Flash said while looking at the light saber. "I want one!"

"I want to make a longer one, but I can't get my hands on pieces for making it," Bo said with frustration.

"How strong is it?" Merlander asked his Human friend.

"It can cut through almost anything," Bo said.

"Can I test it out?" Daxter asked. Bo shrugged her shoulders and handed the gadget to her Ottsel friend. "Nice!" Daxter said while swinging the light saber around like a sword. He got the hang of it quickly.

Merlander laughed and batted Daxter off his shoulders. "Don't swing that thing crazily on my head," he said as Daxter jumped down to Bo's shoulder. Flash laughed out loud when Daxter stuck his tongue out at Merlander when he was not looking.

"That thing is real cool," Daxter said to Bo while handing the mini light saber back to her. She shoved it back into his hands and shook her head.

"You can hang onto it for a while," she said. "I don't have enough tools to make a bigger one at the moment."

"Thanks!" Daxter said while pressing the red button again and the light stick came back in. He jumped back to Merlander's shoulder and rested his elbow on his friend's head. The group walked up a steep platform to Haven Forest. They waited for the doors to open, but when they opened the day flip flopped.

"Surprise," Erol said from inside the room the group was about to go into. He was standing in front of Merlander with his hands on his hips, and about a dozen of Krimson Guards were behind him with guns raised.

Merlander was too stunned to say anything at that point. Daxter frowned and said, "Let me guess. You want to know where the kid is?"

"Close," Erol said coldly. "That is only part of it. The Baron just wants some eco freaks put behind bars."

"I thought we made a deal, Erol," Merlander said while his eyes went dark.

"Eh!" Rose yelled with a nod. She meant something like, "Yeah, you backstabber!"

"Did you know I had to take a ton of acting lesions for that whole thing," Erol said with a laugh. "You're very hard to persuade, Merlander. You used to be such a push over. Now look at you! You're as stubborn as a yakcow."

Merlander's head was spinning. The wheels in his brain were flying by now. He was barely listening to Erol. He finally found something. Merlander quickly took out his pistol and shot at the hinges that held up the ramp to the door of Haven Forest.

"Hang on!" he called to his group while the ramp fell. Erol jumped back so he would not fall with the ramp. Roxie gave a scream of surprise as the ramp crashed to the ground. Dust flew up from the ground, and that was the right time to move.

"Curse that guy!" Erol yelled as he looked down to only see a huge cloud of dust.

Merlander quickly found all of his team and ordered them to hide behind the huge fruit stalks that were right next to the fallen ramp. They all obeyed quickly, and only Roxie asked a question.

"What are we going to do?" she asked Merlander while taking out her dice with a gloved hand and getting ready for a fight.

"Let me think," Merlander said while taking out his pistol and shoving more bullets into it. Bo grabbed something out of her belt. It was a tiny pole that was only around five inches long and an inch wide. She twirled it once and it formed into a staff. Bo Staff would be the right name for the old Earth gadget.

"We better think of something quickly," Bo said to her friends. "Erol and his group are jumping down to our level, and it looks like he is calling in more KG's."

Merlander saw that Bo was right. He muttered something under his breath and looked to Flash. "Flash," he said and the kid nodded. "I want you to run as fast as you can to our backup way to get into Black Water."

"Fast as I can?!" Flash asked with excitement in his eyes and voice.

"Yes," Merlander said with a nod. "You know where to go?"

"Merlander, you know that warp gate has been disabled for months now," Bo said.

"I know that," Merlander said while fishing into his pocket, "But I'm going to finally activate it." He took out a round object and threw it to Flash. "It goes into the warp gate. Simon thought it was just not activated, but I really took out one of those projectors that it needs to warp someone. Place it in the right spot and it will be fine. Stay there when you're done. Now go!"

Flash was only there for two seconds then all they could see in his place was flashes of blue lightning. "So what is your big plan?" Roxie asked while glancing around her stalk of blue fruit.

"It might take awhile for that warp gate to boot up," Merlander answered. "So by the time we get there it will be up and ready to go."

"Surrender now, Merlander," came Erol's voice. "And the Baron might be kind."

"Give it a rest, Erol!" Merlander yelled while coming out from behind his cover and shooting at Erol then returning to his spot.

"Fine!" Erol said after ducking. "Fire at the fruit!"

"But," one Krimson Guard said but never finished. Krimson Guards were never really smart. All they knew was that firing at the fruit that was their food would be a bad thing.

"I said FIRE!" Erol yelled while pointing toward the crops.

Around five yellow fireballs came blasting out of the crops and hit some of the Krimson Guards. A blue dice came flying out and landed at Erol's feet. Erol looked down and only had time to cover his face before the thing blew up. The explosion sent Erol flying backwards into two other Krimson Guards.

By this time the Krimson Guards were firing at the crops. One blew up, and they heard the person behind it give a yell. Akki ran to a different stalk as his blew up and threw some more yellow fireballs at the Krimson Guards. Merlander covered for him with a round of bullets from his pistol. He got three Krimson Guards down and smiled.

Right when the small Black Water team thought they could defeat Erol's group, around two-dozen more Krimson Guards came running around the corner to take them down. Two KG zoomers came flying up and started to fire at the stalks with no mercy.

"We have to find another place to hide!" Roxie yelled over the massive gunfire. She stuck her gloved hand out and three dice zipped into it. She quickly leaned against her fruit stalk and glanced over to Merlander. Laser dust was in the hot air and she could barely make the shape of Merlander out.

"I'm thinking!" he yelled back. He stepped out of his protection and fired blindly at the Krimson Guards through the dust. He then jumped back behind the stalk while swiping the sweat off his face with his arm. "There are too many of them."

"On three, fire at the zoomer on the right!" Bo yelled from behind a stalk. "One, two, three! Fire!"

Roxie bared her teeth and threw two dice at the zoomer. Merlander pressed a button on his pistol and aimed at the zoomer. Three big fireballs hit the zoomer too, and the thing blew to a million burning pieces.

"Nice!" Roxie heard Bo shout from behind her. "Prepare for another attack on the second one."

"Wa!" cried Rose, which most likely meant something like, "That was a great attack, guys!"

"They are circling us!" Roxie heard Daxter yell above the mess. "Watch your backs!"

"They never stop!" Akki yelled while turning around and throwing more fireballs at the daring Krimson Guards behind him. "I'll take down the ones from behind."

"On three, we destroy the other zoomer!" Bo shouted. Merlander shoved another pack of bullets into his pistol and nodded to Roxie. She looked behind her stalk and saw Erol point to Merlander's stalk and yell something.

"Merlander, move!" she yelled to him. He did not waste time and rolled out of the way to another stalk right as his exploded. Roxie covered her face with her arms, as the juice from the fruit splattered all over her body. "I need a new outfit after this."

"If we make it out," Daxter said as he jumped to her shoulder. "Right now it looks like we are going to be spending most of our lives in a prison."

"Not if I'm around," Roxie said while throwing her dice at the Krimson Guards. "Where does the Baron come up with so many Guards?" She glanced up to her shoulder and Daxter just gave her a one-shoulder shrug.

Daxter looked up and saw Erol point to Roxie's stalk. "We best get moving, kid!" Daxter yelled. But it was too late. Her stalk exploded, and she was left in the open. She was dead meat if someone did not do something.

"Roxie!" Akki yelled. His eyes glowed a brighter yellow. In his hands he created a huge ball of fire and let it loose at the group of Krimson Guards. Everything after that was a blur to Roxie. The explosion of the massive fireball blew her into another fruit stalk and put her into a fuzzy world.

"Do something, Merlander!" Bo yelled to her friend as she saw Roxie halfway knocked out. More Krimson Guards came around the corner. Erol got up and leaned against a wall for support. His whole face was black, and he coughed into his hand while wincing. He did not know that the eco people would be so powerful and hard to capture.

Erol looked up and saw Merlander trying to drag Roxie behind a fruit stalk for cover. Daxter was at his side and trying to help. Erol got out his pistol and aimed at his old friend. For two seconds he could not shoot. This was his friend!

"He used to be my friend," Erol said to himself. "I work for the Baron now. This is a war. People die in wars!" He then pulled the trigger.

"Ahh!" Merlander yelled while holding onto his side and dropping down to his knees in pain.

"Merlander!" Bo and Daxter yelled at the same time when they saw their friend go down. Akki was too busy fighting off the Krimson Guards behind them to notice anything.

"Gah!" Rose yelled which most likely meant, "Oh no! Merlander is hurt!"

Merlander winced and pulled his hand away from his side to see his hot blood drip down his side and stain his shirt. The bullet had gone in deep. A far-away look came to Merlander's eyes. He clenched his teeth together and kept pulling Roxie out of danger.

When his friend was behind a stalk, Merlander said to Bo, "I have a great idea." She looked very worried for him, but then a smile came to her lips. "On three, we shoot at the water tube behind the Krimson Guards."

"I like it," Bo said as Akki nodded. "Give me your pistol, Mer," she said. "You can't fight when you're like this." He nodded and threw his pistol to her. "Okay. One, two, three! Give it all you got!" She fired at the water tube as Akki used all his strength to fire one more fireball.

Boom! A wave of water came crashing down onto the Krimson Guards and knocked them off their feet. Akki picked up Roxie carefully while Bo gave Merlander his gun back. Daxter got onto Bo's shoulder while pointing to a zoomer.

"Let's get a three seater," Bo said. "And quickly!" Two Krimson Guards ran over to the Black Water group to try and take down the group. Bo frowned while taking out her staff. "You do not want to PO me!" she said while swinging her staff around expertly. She jumped into the air and came crashing down on the one Krimson Guard's head. With no hesitation she swung her staff around like a bat and hit the other guy in the back of the head. She then smiled and led her team to a zoomer.

Merlander hopped into the zoomer and started it up. Akki sat beside him with Roxie in his arms. Bo got in on the other side. "Are you sure you can drive after getting shot like that?" she asked Merlander.

"I'll be fine," Merlander said. "I'm running on pure adrenaline now. It should hold out till we get to the warp gate. And you know that I'm the only one who can drive a zoomer."

"This is not over, Merlander!" Erol yelled while getting up from the water. "I'll find you and your stupid Black Water group sooner or later and kill you once and for all!" He then tripped over another Krimson Guard and did a face plant into the muddy ground.

"Have fun with that, Erol!" Daxter yelled back to the enemy.

Merlander slammed on the gas and did not say anything for the whole ride. The Krimson Guards were on their tails the whole time. "Are we heading for Dead Town?" Daxter asked while looking around the slums. They had finally gotten away from the Krimson Guards.

"Yes," Bo said while looking up at him. "It looks like Roxie is finally waking up."

"I've been awake," Roxie said. "Just that everything was fuzzy." She glowed green and then rubbed her forehead. "And I could hear everyone's thoughts so clearly. My brain is in massive pain right now because of so many thoughts going through it."

"We're here," Akki said. They all got out of the zoomer and quickly went through the door to Dead Town. Flash was waiting on the other side for them. He smiled, then saw how beat up they looked and dropped the smile quickly.

"Let's get home," Akki said. "I'm sick of Haven City."

"You can say that again, brother!" Daxter said while jumping to Roxie's shoulder once again. She never complained about him hanging onto her shoulder anymore. It was part of her now. She gave him a weak smile and followed Merlander and Bo.

Merlander winced again and held onto his side. "Let's hurry," he said with a grimace.

"La!" Rose yelled which meant something along the lines of, "I agree with Merlander!" They finally found the portal and without hesitation they all jumped in one by one.

A/N: This was a fun chapter to write. Please give a review! Next chapter will be mainly on Roxie and Daxter. Someone told me I was too much on Merlander. After that I'll give my readers a Jak chapter. Have a happy new year!


	22. Chapter 22 Stuck In A Closet

A/N: This chapter is just for fun. I got one idea from another fan fic I read by I think the pen name was Quick Demon. I want to thank you all for reviewing. 93 reviews are a lot! I feel so loved!

Chapter 22

"_I wish it did not have to rain,"_ Roxie thought to Daxter in his head. They both gave sighs and kept walking through the city as the rain dropped down on them. Roxie avoided a puddle, and Daxter followed right after her. The two were on their way to Roxie's school and had to get up extra early because Merlander could not be there to pick them up with his zoomer, so they had to walk.

"Maybe the rain will lighten up," Daxter said to Roxie as he looked up with a wistful sigh.

"_That is a big maybe,"_ Daxter heard Roxie in his head. Roxie did not have to put her fingers to Daxter's head anymore to Mind Speak to him. She could be a mile away and she could still send him her thoughts and talk to him.

After a long walk, the two finally made it to the school. They walked up the many steps and came under an overhang that provided shelter for the girl and Ottsel. Daxter shivered in the cold wind blowing at him and Roxie.

_I'll stay here till you get out,_ he thought to her. Roxie nodded and walked through the two double doors while clutching her books closer to her chest. She heard Daxter in her head say, _and don't Mind Speak to me all day. The last thing you want is detention from your evil teacher._

Daxter heard a laugh come into his head. _"Go find a tree, Dax, and sleep in it,"_ she Mind Spook to him.

_It's too wet,_ came Daxter's response. _I'm just going to sit here and sleep._ With that said, the orange creature curled into a ball on the stairs and slowly drifted off to sleep. Daxter was dreaming of hot girls feeding him grapes on the beach when suddenly Roxie's teen form was standing in front of him. And she gave him "The Look".

"Don't look at me like that, kid," Daxter said in his dream while sitting up in his seat. "Now leave me alone."

"No, Dax!" Roxie said with anger in her voice. "Get up! You're sleeping! I need help in the real world!"

"What?" Daxter asked his friend while scratching his head. "I'm not dreaming."

"Yes you are!" Roxie said while rolling her eyes. "You are really on the steps in front of my school sleeping while I've tried for the past hour to wake you up by Mind Speaking to you. Now get your fuzzy butt up and **WAKE UP**!"

Daxter snapped his head up with a gasp and realized he had been dreaming. He rubbed his head and saw that it had stopped raining. In his head the last words of Roxie echoed around loudly and started to give him a headache.

_Never do that again,_ he thought to Roxie while getting up while still rubbing his head.

"_Daxter, I thought you would never wake up! I have a BIG problem!"_ came Roxie's voice to Daxter's head. _"I have detention! And in just 15 minutes I change into a teen. If my teacher sees that my parents will know, and I'm sure it will be all around the city. And that means sooner or later the Baron will know. You have to get me out!"_

_I have no idea how to get you out!_ Daxter thought while glaring at the school doors. _What do you have in mind because I can't think of a thing?_

"_Use your imagination!"_ Roxie snapped back, and Daxter rolled his eyes with frustration. He got up on his feet and thought for a few seconds. He stuck his tongue out at the school, and he heard Roxie say in his head, _"I saw that in your head!"_

_Keep your pants on, kid,_ Daxter thought while coming up with an idea. _I'll be back. And why do you have to always be hearing my thoughts? They are my own. You should not invade people's privacy._

Roxie did not respond. Daxter thought it could be because she was not listening, or she just did not want to say anything. Daxter jumped down the steps two at a time and rushed to a zoomer.

"Okay," Daxter said to himself while hopping onto the zoomer. He rubbed his hands together while looking over the machine. "I'm going to have to quickly learn to drive one of these do-hickies if I want to save Roxie in time." Daxter found the gas pedal and slammed his foot on it while turning the handle toward the doors of the school. Nothing happened.

"_You might want to try turning the keys, Dax,"_ came Roxie's voice.

_That might work,_ Daxter said with a smile. He turned the keys and slammed on the gas again with a wicked smile on his face. His zoomer came flying up the steps, and Daxter did not dare slow down. The zoomer crashed into the wooden doors, and Daxter screamed as he was almost knocked off his seat.

Daxter hung onto the handles of the zoomer like his life depended on it. His zoomer was on fire and ready to blow up at any time. _Maybe I went insane!_ He thought while turning sharply when the hall turned. _Oh, sorry person I almost killed. Note to self: Never do this again! End of note._

"Daxter! Stop making notes to yourself and get me out! What the heck are you doing?! When I said to use your imagination I did not mean go insane and fly a zoomer around my school. I only have ten minutes!"

People ran out of the way of the out-of-control zoomer with screams. Daxter knew he had to stop, or he would get himself killed. He slammed on the brakes and flew off the zoomer and into a wall with a loud yell. Daxter slid down the wall and saw stars go around his head. "That hurt," he muttered to himself.

"It's a rat!" came a woman's voice, and a high-pitched screamed followed. "Run away!"

Daxter got to his feet while holding onto his head. "I'm not a rat!" he yelled while shaking his head.

"Daxter, hurry!" came a worried voice in Daxter's head.

"Freedom!" Daxter yelled at the top of his lungs while running around like he was insane. "These kids need FREEDOM!" It was all Daxter could think of.

"I'm dead," muttered Roxie in Daxter's head. In her classroom her evil teacher opened the door with fright in her eyes. When she saw Daxter running down the hall, she totally freaked.

With a blood-piecing scream, the stern teacher jumped into the air and lost the whole evil teacher look. She started to cry while getting up on her desk. Daxter ran into the room and winked to Roxie while growling at Roxie's teacher.

"Get away from me!" the teacher said through a sob of tears.

"I'm out of here!" Roxie said into Daxter's head. She jumped out of her seat and ran out the door while fake crying like she was some wimp. Daxter laughed as they ran into the hall. He had caused a mess. Everyone was running for the door screaming and yelling. Some thought a beast was in the school, and some thought it was a Metal Head.

"What did you do?!" Roxie scolded Daxter while glaring at him with her cute, green eyes. "Now look at this mess! What if Krimson Guards come to check it out? We have to hide!"

"Here is a closet!" Daxter yelled over the screaming people while pointing to a tiny storeroom closet. "It is perfect!" They both ran to the door, and Roxie had a hard time trying to open it because it had a knob and did not open automatically like the ones she was used to.

"You turn and push!" Daxter said to her as he glanced behind to see Roxie's teacher searching for him with her stick. Roxie did what he said while yelling at him with her Mind Speaking. They threw themselves into the room, and Daxter kicked the door shut. He had to cover his eyes as Roxie flashed white and grew into her teen form.

"That was too close, Dax!" Roxie whispered harshly. "What am I sitting on?"

"Me!" Daxter responded while trying to push her off his body. When she had turned into teen form she grew, and the room seemed to shrink.

"Sorry!" Roxie said while quickly getting off her friend. "Where is the light?" She finally found a switch and turned it on. The small light filled the tiny room, and the two covered their eyes. "Why are there boxes in here?"

"I have no idea," Daxter said while dusting himself off then sneezing. "This closet is filled with dust." He sneezed again, and his eyes started to water. "My nose does not go too well with dust," he said up to Roxie then sneezed once again.

"Bless you," Roxie said with a sweet smile.

"Thanks," Daxter muttered while giving his friend a weak smile. "Let's get out of here."

"I'm with you all the way!" Roxie said while turning the knob and pushing. She growled at the door and pushed harder.

"Roxie," Daxter said while frowning. "Don't tell me…"

"Stupid thing!" Roxie said in frustration. "I hate old doors!" She slammed her knee into the metal door out of stupidity. "OW!" She fell to her butt while holding onto her knee.

"Great, it's locked!" Daxter growled while folding his arms in front of his chest. "How great is this? We are stuck until someone opens the door! I wonder how long that will be. By the looks of it, it should take…forever!" He then sneezed loudly.

"Grrrr!" Roxie said under her breath. "I can't spend my whole life in this closet. Can you pick a lock, Dax?"

"Huh?" Daxter asked and sneezed again. "I could try. But we don't have anything to work with here."

"How about a pen?" Roxie asked while looking into her tiny pack strapped to her belt.

"That will not do," Daxter said in thought. "Maybe these boxes will help."

"Then let's get to work!" Roxie said while rubbing her hands together. "You start over there, and I'll work over here. Tell me what you get." Daxter shrugged his shoulders and sneezed again. "You really don't like dust, don't you?" Roxie asked while opening up her first box. Daxter opened his dusty box and started to sneeze in an out-of-control manner. "I would take that as a yes."

"Wow!" Daxter finally said after his sneezing fit. "Dusty!" Roxie laughed at his actions. "I have papers in my box and files on old students. Ha! Look at the hair styles from back in the day!"

"We are looking for a lock pick, Dax," Roxie said sternly. "Not old photos. My box has…yew!"

"What?"

"Old science projects," Roxie said in a disgusted tone. She held up a glass jar with some kind of fungus growing in it. Daxter frowned while holding onto his nose. "I'm guessing this one went wrong," Roxie said while setting it back down and sticking out her tongue.

"How could you tell?" Daxter asked sarcastically while pushing his box out of the way and going to the next one. "Let's keep searching. Can't you put your dice in the lock and blow it up?"

"The dice will not fit in the lock," Roxie said while opening up her next box. "We will just have to get out the old fashioned way. My box has trophies."

"Mine has 'vote for Pedro' signs and T-shirts in it," Daxter said with confusion. He held up a shirt for Roxie to see, and she laughed. "What is so funny?" he asked while scratching one of his ears.

"They always keep student president stuff saved," Roxie said. "We are going to find a lot more of those." Daxter frowned again while shoving the shirt back into the box and kicking it out of the way.

"We need a faster way to get out of here," Daxter stated while opening another box. "Ah!" he yelled as a bunch of moths came bursting out the box and swarmed around him. "Get them off me, Roxie! Do I look like clothing to you?" He started to run around in circles while screaming.

"Hold still, idiot!" Roxie demanded while grabbing Daxter's tail. She shoed the moths away, and they flew up to the light. Daxter was breathing hard by the time she was done. "That was funny!" she said to him with a smile.

"Yeah," Daxter said while glaring over at her. "I really want to get out of here! I hate moths!" Roxie giggled and opened her box.

"Tech Ed stuff," Roxie said and her eyes lit up. She grabbed Daxter and said, "There has to be something in here!" Daxter smiled, and they both dug into the box in search for a good lock pick.

"SWEET!" Daxter yelled while holding up a metal that was left over from some project. He jumped up to Roxie's head and stood up proud and tall as they both smiled. "We are finally out of here!" he said while starting to pick the lock.

"Now don't break it!" Roxie said to Daxter.

"I know what I'm doing," Daxter hissed back to her. "Just let me do my thing. I'm almost done." Right before Daxter picked the door open, one of the moths at the light whacked into it too hard, and the lights went out for a few seconds. Both of them gasped, and Daxter twisted the lock pick, and they heard a sickening snap.

"I hate you," Roxie muttered to Daxter as the lights flickered back on.

"NO!" Daxter yelled in defeat. Their lock pick was broken. He dropped to his knees and pounded the ground. "This can't be happening! We can't be stuck in a freaking closet!" Roxie leaned up against the wall and slid to the floor while she shook her head in disbelieve.

"Don't PMS," Roxie snapped at him. "It is your fault we are in this mess! You opened the box with the moths."

"You were the one who wanted to hide in the first place," Daxter growled back. "It is not my fault. And I did not PMS!"

"You were the one who set the whole school into freak out mode!" Roxie said while glaring daggers at Daxter. "Don't blame me!"

"You were the one who got in trouble in the first place!" Daxter yelled while giving his friend a death glare. "So shut up, princess!"

"I'm not the one yelling!" Roxie yelled at the top of her lungs.

"You just did!" Daxter yelled back. He then sneezed loudly. Then there was silence. The two sulked in their own corners of the room. After around a few minutes the two looked up at each other and gave sighs. Daxter sneezed again.

"Bless you," Roxie muttered over to him.

"Thanks," Daxter muttered back. He was still sulking in his corner.

"Sorry for yelling," Roxie said while looking at the dusty floor and picking at her boots. "It is not your fault for getting us stuck."

"Yeah," Daxter said while fiddling with his left fingerless glove. "I guess I'm sorry too." He looked up at Roxie and gave her his trademark sly smile. "Do you want to get back to looking in the boxes? We could find a screwdriver or something."

"Let's get going again, Orange Lightning," Roxie said while using her nickname for him. They both got up and started to search the boxes. "What made us go whack back there?" she asked Daxter while ripping open another box.

"Maybe it was the dust," Daxter said while getting ready to sneeze again. Roxie did not find the point to look so disgusted when he sneezed once again. She just muttered a bless you, and he returned it with a thanks as always.

"Hey!" Roxie said while getting her box open. "I think this stuff is Human, Dax!"

"Yippee," Daxter said sarcastically over his shoulder. He opened his box and looked into it and gave a goofy smile. He came out of the box with a huge wig on his head. "Look at me from the side, Roxie. Do I look bigger to you?" he asked Roxie with the most girly mocking voice he could muster without cracking up.

"Huh?" Roxie asked and turned around. Daxter did a girl model pose and battered his eyes at Roxie. "You're scaring me, Dax," Roxie said then could not keep a straight face. She started to laugh loudly and had to hold onto her sides.

"I think I'm scaring myself," Daxter said with a smile. He put the wig back and pushed the box out of the way. Roxie kept laughing insanely. "It was not that funny!" he said to Roxie with a frown. "Please stop laughing."

"Sorry, Dax," Roxie said while gaining control of herself. "I think it is because of this Human gas I found in my box. I can't stop laughing," she said and gave a giggle. Daxter raised an eyebrow at her, and that made her start to laugh.

"You're hopeless," Daxter finally said as Roxie returned to giggles. He shook his head in frustration and opened his next box. "Ah. Toilet paper, soap, and plastic cups. This could be a storage closet." By this time, Roxie was done fiddling with the laughing gas and came over to her friend to check it out.

"Or maybe this used to be one," she said while picking up a soap bottle that had scum floating on top of the liquid. The two friends looked at each other and wrinkled their noses. "I wonder what that is," Roxie said while looking to a wall that had the most dust covering it.

"What?"

"Look," Roxie said while pointing at the wall and walking towards it. "It has a hand print in the layer of dust." She pressed her hand on the other hand print and pushed a little.

The whole wall slid open with a sudden whoosh. Roxie and Daxter gasped while stepping back with surprise. But they were not ready for their next surprise. The two walked into the huge next room with wide eyes of fright.

"Oh my…" Roxie could not finish her sentence. Her boots made an echo sound every time she stepped on the metal floor. Daxter crawled up her side and stood on her shoulder to get a better look of the room.

The room was big. It was a Metal Head nest! Thousands of the small eggs were on the walls, floors, and pillars. They all moved like they had a heart beat. The place was hot and sticky because it was better for the eggs to hatch that way. Green goo dripped from the ceiling, and eggs hung on the strings. It was like a spider web of Metal Heads.

"This is one big nest," Daxter whispered. He was afraid that if he spook too loudly he would wake them up or something. In the middle of the room stood a giant green crystal or rock that glowed like Roxie's eyes. "I wonder what that rock is for," Daxter said while resting his eyes on the rock.

Roxie glanced over to her shoulder, and the two made eye contact. They gave each other grim smiles, and Roxie started to make her way over eggs to the giant crystal for a better look. Daxter started to drum his fingers on Roxie's shoulder out of nervousness.

"It is a green eco crystal!" Roxie said in a whisper. "I thought we got rid of all of them because they sped up the hatching of Metal Heads. I bet this is the last one in the whole world!" She then reached out slowly with her gloved hand and broke off a piece and put it in her pocket.

"Freeze!" came a Krimson Guard voice from behind the two. Roxie spun around and saw five Krimson Guards in the doorway with guns raised. Erol was with them.

"If you move even a…" Erol stopped in the middle of his sentence as he saw the room. "Where did this place come from? I thought we got rid of all the nests!" He finally looked back to Roxie and Daxter. They had their hands up and looked like statues. They did not want to see if Erol was playing with them. They were busted.

A/N: Sorry for cliffhanger. Next chapter should come out soon. Tell me if you want a half Jak chapter and half Daxter, or if you want just an all Daxter chapter. Please give a review! Thanks! And I'm sorry for not answering reviews! I've had no time this whole week. Next chapter I WILL answer reviews! That is a promise to my wonderful readers!


	23. Chapter 23 Black Water Gone

A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating in a really long time. I could not think of anything for this chapter. So on my retreat I got some ideas from riding on the bus for three hours there and back. And no one had ideas for a Jak chapter, so you get none of him for this chapter. But the next one will be a full Jak chapter and will not be cut in half. I'll try to answer reviews the best I can. I don't own anything from Jak2. Please R&R!

Red Hawk K'sani: The green eco crystal will revel its secrets in this chapter. Thanks for the review.

Authraw: I'll answer the whole Metal Head nest in the school thing in a few more chapters. But I think more people understand because in the game the leader can look like an Elf. Maybe that kind of answers the question. Thanks for reviewing!

Rob the Hedgehog: Daxter is the star. You will see a lot more of him in the latter chapters. I'm finishing the whole plot with Merlander and some of the others soon. So you will see him more often. And I'm sorry to say that I might have an e-mail address, but that does not mean that I check e-mails. I'm a lazy writer. But I'll try. It should be cool. Thanks for the review!

Shadow666: Ha! I have a reader that is magic! Sweet! And my sister always looks at me like I'm on crack too, so it is no big deal. Sometimes I think it is funny to see her look at me that way. But thanks for reviewing.

WRTD: You crack me up! You are too funny! I loved your review. The eco crystal stuff will be reveled in this chapter. That last chapter was made up just on the spot and I had no idea how it was going to work out. But I'm glad it was funny. Thanks for the review.

Yomiori-Wolfdemon: I don't know how to get pictures or anything along those lines. I did not even know how to update chapters on this site when I first started off. I was that pathetic. But I wish I could see it because your character rocks! Thanks for reviewing!

Chapter 23

Erol walked up to Roxie and Daxter with his pistol aiming at them. He grabbed Daxter and threw him to the Krimson Guards and said, "Put him in the cage." After a lot of loud protesting, Daxter was shoved into a tiny cage and one of the guards locked it shut with an evil chuckle.

"Now for you, princess," Erol said to Roxie while turning her around and shoving her against the crystal. He took out a set of handcuffs and strapped them around her wrists with a smile. He shoved another time and part of the crystal sliced into Roxie's skin. She gave a wince and Erol tightened the cuffs. "Are they too tight?" he asked the girl.

Roxie glared at him and said, "No." She loved the surprise on his face but hated her punishment. He turned her around and shoved his pistol into her side and grabbed her other shoulder to keep her pressed up against the weapon.

Roxie never liked guns. When the cold metal of the pistol touched her skin, her stomach did a flip like it would when ridding a roller coaster. "You're sick, you know that?" she spat out at Erol. She hated to have him so close to her and touch her body.

"You're too kind," Erol said with a wicked smile on his face. "Let's move out!" he said to the Krimson Guards. They walked out of the Metal Head nest and out the closet the two friends had been stuck in for the past hour. "We will come back here to destroy the nest later." The group walked out of the school and started down the steps.

Before they got down the steps, a pole came flying out of the bushes next to the stairs and knocked out one of the Krimson Guards. He collapsed to the ground and rolled down the rest of the steps. Erol stepped back in surprise and yanked Roxie with him. Bo jumped out of the bushes and swung her staff at the other Krimson Guard that held onto the cage with Daxter inside. He ducked just in time and backed up.

"I'll shoot her!" Erol yelled at Bo. The Human glared at him with her icy, blue eyes. She had her long, red hair down, and most of it was covering her face. One side of her face was completely covered by hair, and a long scar was along her cheek with blood slowly dripping down. She glared at Erol with hatred flashing in her eyes, and it made the guy's blood run cold.

A yellow fireball came from behind Erol and hit him on the back. Erol fell forward while still holding onto Roxie. Akki grabbed Roxie before she could fall down the stairs with Erol. They turned to the Krimson Guard that held the cage, and he looked like he had just peed in his pants with fright.

"Watch out!" Daxter yelled while pointing to Erol. The guy had gotten up and was pointing his pistol at Roxie. No one could stop the guy. A big bang echoed around that part of Haven City. Daxter had his eyes closed while Bo was going after Erol. Akki was in the middle of throwing a fireball at the villain.

They all stopped and looked at Roxie with wide eyes. A faint green glow was on their faces as they looked up to the teen. Roxie opened her eyes to see she was not dead at all. All eyes were on her, and all jaws had dropped to the floor.

"She is on green fire!" the Krimson Guard said.

"It must have been the green eco crystal," Daxter said to Roxie. "Just look at yourself!"

"What?" Roxie asked while looking over her body. She was covered with green flames, and it was scary but still awesome at the same time. "Sweet!" she said while her eyes lit up with delight.

Before anyone got his or her head together, Bo was already taking action. She advanced toward Erol. He jumped onto his zoomer and flew off before the Human took his head off. Bo knew she could not knock the living crap out of the wimp, so she turned toward the Krimson Guard. She then came after him. He did not take any chances and just dropped Daxter's cage and ran like a girly man would.

"Get back here, you blood thirsty group of savages!" Bo screamed at him with disgust in her voice as she watched him run. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!" She was pissed. They all just stared at her with shock.

"What has gotten into her?" Roxie whispered to Akki who was beside her.

"Black Water was found," Akki said with a faraway look in his yellow eyes. "Merlander got out of there just in time with Flash and Rose. They are hiding somewhere in the city, but we don't know if they are okay because Merlander is still hurt from Erol hitting him."

Akki folded his arms in front of his chest as Bo walked up the steps with the cage in one hand and her staff in the other. She gave the cage with Daxter in it to Roxie and twirled her staff around. It clicked back into a shorter version than before, and the Human put it into her belt.

"I really hope they are okay," Akki said with sadness and worry in his voice.

"Um," came a voice from the cage. "Can someone please get me out of this stupid cage?" The three looked down to Daxter with a bit of surprise. He gave them a smile and said, "Got any ideas?"

"We need a place to hide," Bo said with an icy tone to her voice. "I can't open that cage. That light saber would work, though. But until we get that, Dax, you're stuck in there." Daxter gave a grown and rolled his eyes. He sat down in the cage and waited for something to happen.

"We can go to my house," Roxie finally said. "It is on the opposite side of the city, though. Might take us a while to get there."

"Are you forgetting something, kid?" Daxter asked. "You're parents don't know you are an eco freak! How do you think they will react when a truck load of eco freaks come walking into their home?"

"It is worth a try, and stop calling us eco freaks," Roxie said while leading the way down the steps. "Maybe we can find Merlander and the rest along the way. What happened to all the other Black Water people?"

"Dead," was Bo's answer. It started to rain again and the Elves, Human, and Osttel started to get soaked. Bo's hair fell in front of her face, and she did not care to push it out of the way as she said, "We were out looking for you, and when we came back dead bodies were laying all over the floors and just left there to die. We found Merlander's note and quickly left to find you and them. I'm afraid that Simon got captured because we could not find his body."

"Here comes more Krimson Guards," Akki said quickly, and the group quickly hid behind a fruit stand as they past them. When they were gone, the group went back to walking to Roxie's house. They made slow business because of so many Krimson Guards looking for them. They finally made it to the Slums, and by then no Krimson Guards were looking for them.

"We should get there soon," Roxie said behind her shoulder. "Great. Here come more Krimson Guards. Where do we hide?" The rain started to clear up and the puddles started to sparkle with the little light from the sun peaking through the rain clouds.

"Behind this building," Akki quickly said as he pressed his body against the wall. The rest did the same and they held their breath.

"Get him!" came a Krimson Guard voice. "Fire!" Lasers started to fly by the building the group was hiding behind. Merlander came running by the building with about five Krimson Guards behind him. A blue flash zipped around one Krimson Guard, and the dude tripped and fell on his face in a funny manner, but sad to say, this was not a time to laugh.

"That's Flash!" Akki yelled while coming out of hiding. "And that is Merlander! We got to help them." Bo grabbed her Bo Staff and ran out to fight. Akki threw a tiny fireball to get the Krimson Guard's attention. Roxie stood there with the cage in her hands and feeling stupid for some reason.

"We can be cheerleaders," Daxter said flatly when he caught onto Roxie's mood. When you were a Mind Speaker it was hard not to send vibes of your feelings. Roxie gave a sigh and drummed her fingers on the top of the cage as she watched the Black Water team take down the Krimson Guards.

"Come and get it!" Bo yelled as she threw herself into the group of Krimson Guards at full force. She hit one of them and jumped out of the way as one tried to hit her with his gun. She knocked it out of his hands and quickly tripped him with her Staff. Akki was throwing fireballs this whole time and knocked out a few other guards. In just a few minuets the group of KG's were down.

"You guys came just in time," Merlander said as he ran up to his friends. Rose was strapped to his back and was quiet. Flash suddenly appeared next to Roxie, and she let out a little gasp of surprise. He gave her a quick smile and started to switch back to different feet, half out of nervousness and half of because he was full of blue eco and had to keep moving.

"We are heading for Roxie's house," Akki said as the group started to walk some more with Roxie in the lead with the cage in her hands. Bo and Flash was in the middle and keeping a look out for more Krimson Guards. Akki and Merlander brought up the rear and Merlander kept looking behind his shoulder to see if anyone was following them.

They finally made it to the house, and Roxie paused at the door and gave a sigh. She shook her head to clear it and opened the door and let her Black Water friends in one by one. She set a hand on Merlander's shoulder when he passed her, and she looked into his deep, violet eyes. She realized that she could hear all his thoughts and feel all his moods.

All his thoughts and feelings came to her like a lightning bolt. Worry, confusion, anger, sadness, gratefulness, and a hint of love that she only caught for less than a second. She quickly looked away because his feelings were too overwhelming. She wanted to cry. Everything was falling apart.

"Hey," Merlander said to her in a whisper. "It will be okay. At least they don't have us."

"I hate to cut into this lovely talk between you two," Daxter said with boredom in his voice. "But it would be nice to get out of this freaking cage!" Merlander rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen. Roxie frowned and glared at Daxter. "What?" he asked. "How come I never know when I upset girls? You girls are always so picky."

"Roxie!" came a harsh voice from the kitchen. It was her mother. Roxie walked into the room and was beginning to sweat. She wondered what her mother would think. "Where is Roxie?" Meg demanded, as she looked at all the new faces around her. "You said Roxie was with you!" she said to Bo.

"Mom, don't get mad at them!" Roxie said in a rush. "They are only staying here till they find someplace to stay that is safe."

"Who are you?" Meg asked Roxie while putting her hands on her hips and looking sternly at her daughter. "I demand to know what is going on!"

"I'm Roxie!" Roxie said then bit her lower lip and prepared for her mom to freak out. Her mom just looked at her for a long time in disbelieve. "How can I prove that I'm Roxie?" Roxie said to herself. An idea came to her, and she took a chance. If the green eco crystal could make her powers triple then what if she tried going into little form again? She had to try it.

In a flash of white with green sparkles, the teen changed into her tiny form. Everyone gasped and stared at her. Meg ran up to Roxie and threw the cage over her shoulder to hug her little girl. Merlander caught the cage and smiled at Daxter who just frowned and rubbed his head from being banged around.

"What happened to you, my little Roxie?" Meg asked her kid as she hugged her. Roxie turned into her teen form and looked like she was about to choke. Flash started to laugh, and Akki hit him on the back of his head to make the kid shut up.

"Mom!" Roxie gasped out. "Air!"

"Oh! Sorry!" Meg said while whipping tears from her eyes. "Look at you! How long have you been doing that?"

"I'll tell you everything after we all sit down," Roxie said with a smile. She was so happy that her mother still loved her. She just wondered what her dad would think. That was not a happy thought.

The group sat down, and Meg made them a quick snack, and the Black Water team ate quickly like they had not eaten in a long time. They were all worn out from running around the city being chased by Krimson Guards. Roxie told her mother everything while Bo used her light saber to get Daxter out of the cage. After Roxie was done, Merlander picked up after that and told Meg about Black Water. Bo then finished it with the Baron finding them and killing everyone.

"It would be selfish if I said no to guys staying here," Meg said to them when they were done talking. "You can stay here till everything dies down. I just don't have enough money to feed you all."

"We have no money too," Merlander said while messing with Rose's hair. "I did not have enough time to grab any when I left. What are we going to do?"

Rose and Flash yawned at the same time. Bo saw this and said, "We are all worn out. I for sure am. I've not had this much adventure in a long time. You know how Humans are. All they do is invent things. I'm ready for bed. We can talk about the money thing in the morning. Right now Rose and Flash needs sleep."

"No I don't!" Flash said with a big yawn at the end.

Meg laughed and said to him, "I used to tell Roxie a bunch of bed time stories. I bet I could tell you one. Let's go into the other room." Flash nodded with a small smile. Merlander handed Rose over to the mom, and she took the two into Roxie's room.

"I'll go with you, mom!" Roxie said after a pause. She got up and ran to her room to be with her mom. What she really wanted was to hear one of her mom's stories. She was a kid in a teen's body.

Daxter laughed and started after Roxie. "My bed is in her dresser," he said, and the three just smiled at him. He got the hint that the Black Water team wanted some alone time. "Maybe I should just stick around here and eat some more," he said with a sly smile.

"Go!" they all said together to beat it through Daxter's head.

"Okay!" Daxter said while putting his hands up in defeat. "I get the point! I'm going." He started to leave then turned around to say something else. Before he got to say anything, Merlander stood up with a wooden spoon in his hands and was glaring daggers at the animal. "Going!" he said then ran to the other room in a hurry.

Merlander sat back down with a smile. "That should keep him away for at least a hour," he said. "Where do we start? We are the only Black Water members left. I call a meeting." Akki and Bo answered with little laughs and looked to the floor.

"I can't get that picture of people that I knew all my life dead on the floor in front of me," Bo whispered to no one. Merlander opened his mouth to say something, but she did not let him speak. "Why? I can't see anyone mean enough to kill so many people at once. I just fell so weak and pathetic. Why did he have to do that?" By this time the strong Human girl was crying.

Akki kept his eyes to the ground. A few small tears slowly fell down his face as he listened to Bo. Merlander gave a sigh then sat next to Bo. She looked at him, and his heart went out for her. She always had this cover that was strong and independent. He now saw her true colors. She was scared and needed someone to comfort her.

"Hey," he whispered to her. "It will all work out. You have friends still that love you. We just got to keep a little bit of hope in our hearts." Bo smiled, and for the first time, she looked like her real age to Akki's and Merlander's eyes. She then buried her face into Merlander's shoulder and gave small sobs. For two seconds Merlander did not know what to do. He was too surprised. He then hugged the little teen Human that was only 13. He glanced over to Akki and ruffed his hair to get a smile to come to his lips.

"Let's get to sleep," Merlander whispered to them. "We all need it." He was the oldest there. This was now his team. He had never felt at home anywhere, not even Black Water. The only place he knew that he trusted was the Wastelanders that he and Sig were spying for. He finally found a place to call his own. Its name was Black Water.

* * *

"What the heck!" Daxter whispered loudly to Roxie as he tripped over Akki's sleeping body. "I can't see a single thing in the dark!"

"I thought otters or weasels could see in the dark," Roxie said while grabbing her dad's leather backpack from the kitchen counter. "And keep quiet. You might wake them."

"How did you're dad handle everything, kid?" Daxter asked while noticing that Merlander was nowhere to be seen in the bunch lying on the floor of Roxie's kitchen. "And I'm sorry to say that I don't see well in the dark. Maybe I did not get that gene or something."

"My dad took it well, I think," Roxie said while her door swooshed open. "Get your fuzzy butt over here, Dax! We need to get going. It takes some time to get to the palace." Daxter came running up to her with Bo's small light saber in his hands.

"I thought that we might need this," Daxter said as they stepped out into the night air. He jumped up to her shoulder then gave her the gadget. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"You were the one who wanted to do it when I told you about it," Roxie said with a laugh. "If you don't like it then you can go back. But I'm doing it." A small breeze flew over them, and Roxie shivered. The only thing giving light to the two was the bright moon and green light in the dark sky.

Roxie looked up and said to Daxter, "I never noticed that we had so many stars."

"Oh no," Daxter said sarcastically. "Roxie is noticing things. I don't feel safe riding on your shoulder anymore. Let's go to a doctor."

"Cut it out, fuzzy," Roxie said to her friend. "We should stop by Mod's place to see if we can take Morph along with us. He could be of some help."

"Yeah. Another absent minded thing to tag along with this tiny crew," Daxter said. "You always say that he could come in handy when the only thing that blob does is look at something shiny and gets off track. He kind of reminds me of someone."

"Hey!" Roxie snapped back. "Shiny things are cool! Don't diss them! And I'll make sure he does not get into any trouble."

"You said that last time," Daxter said flatly. "Remember? When we were mapping out the bazaar just a week ago? He saw a Jewry stand and flew off with a diamond necklace. We chased that air head blob for two whole hours!"

"I'll take care of it," Roxie said while rolling her eyes at Daxter. "Just keep your tail on. And we need one of Mod's maps of the palace."

"We can pick the lock to his glass case," Daxter said slowly and sarcastically.

"Funny," Roxie said flatly. "Don't joke like that. That closet was hell. I will have nightmares of that place for the rest of my life."

"Yeah," Daxter said. "I will forever hate moths and will have scars for forever." The two looked at each other then cracked up. The funny memory lifted the nervousness from their minds. Then they saw Mod's tent come up.

A/N: Next chapter will be of Jak. I have everything planned out for that chapter, so it will be out soon. I bet you readers are wondering what the two sneaky friends plan to do. You will find out soon. Please give a review!


	24. Chapter 24 A Plan For Escape

A/N: Here is the Jak chapter you all have been waiting for. I finally had an idea come to me in my boring science class with Mr. Bond. That teacher is insane. This is what he said to my friend and I right before we left class, "Don't get lost in the snow." Who says that? Only him! I don't own anything from Jak2. Please give a review!

Chapter 24

"I'm calling up the Baron," Devo said sternly to Amelia. She gave him a stiff nod, and they both let go of Jak. Devo walked up to his globe in the middle of his study and pressed a place on it. The whole globe glowed blue and then a holographic face of the Baron came up.

"What is it, General Devo?" the Baron asked with a hint of confusion to his voice. "I thought you said everything was going fine in the fort." Anger started to swell up in Jak. This was the guy that was making him suffer.

"Yes," Devo answered while glancing over to Amelia and Jak. "But something popped up on us. It seems that you have not made any rules for your project. I have someone here that says one of the test subjects here is too young."

"Let me speak to him," the Baron said with a sigh.

"It is a lady, sir," Devo said while Amelia shove him away from the holograph.

"Jak is too young to be in this or any fort you have set up, Baron Praxis," Amelia said while folding her hands together behind her back.

"Jak?" the Baron said and his eyes went wide. "He is perfectly fine. Plus, I don't have an age limit for my project."

Amelia frowned and said, "You have no rules at all, sir. You need to set some standards! I can take over and clear this whole place out and shut down this project if I want to right now. I advise that you set some rules, or all these men are packing up and going back to your city."

The Baron thought over this. He did not want all the people from his project coming back to Haven City. "I'll make them," he finally said with a nod. "But until then, I advise that you don't stick your nose into my project anymore. Do I make myself clear, Amelia?"

The two went way back. They were enemies when they were kids too. They both glared at each other till Amelia finally said, "Perfectly. But you're in dangerous territory right now. I'd watch yourself if I was you."

"Well, you're not me, so I dismiss you," the Baron said in an icy tone. They both gave each other nods, and the holograph went off, and the face of the Baron was gone. Devo smiled at Amelia, and she returned it with a glare.

"I'll be back in a few months," Amelia said at the door. Jak shook his head and was about to run after her, but Devo grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back. "This isn't finished, Mr. Devo," she said with a nod then left.

_No!_ Jak thought in defeat. _This can't be happening! That was my only chance to get out of here, and it just flew away so quickly. If I would have said something I would be gone by now. I'm so stupid! I'm just back where I started again._

* * *

A week after Amelia left, the whole fort was making changes for some reason. Jak was noticing that more people were vanishing. The food was getting a bit better. They made him exercise more. The Baron had made rules over night, and everything was different. But that did not change the new friendship of three random Elves.

"Here is my plan to freedom," Tubal said to Nea and Jak in their tent. He shoved his hand into his shirt and took out a thing of parchment paper. He threw it to Nea so she could take a look at it. Jak tilted his head to the side to show that he was confused. Over the past few weeks Nea and Tubal learned what expressions on Jak's face meant what he was thinking. It was like he wasn't even mute now.

"You can take a look at it after her," Tubal said to Jak while leaning back with a smug smile. Nea was looking at the paper with wide eyes. Whatever it was, it had shrunken her interest.

"It is the whole map of this fort!" Nea finally said in a whisper.

"Shh!" Tubal said while coming to sit next to her. "Don't jinx it!"

"Cut it out!" Nea whispered back, and she elbowed him in the stomach. "This is big. How did you get your hands on this?"

"Easy," Tubal said like it was so simple. Jak and Nea rolled their eyes at the same time. Jak grabbed the map out of Nea's hands to take a look. She frowned at him because of his rudeness, and Jak returned her frown with a big smile just to shove it into her face.

Nea watched Jak closely to try and tell what he was thinking. His eyes flew over the map to only skim it. He was excited enough to scream, but of course the mute couldn't. She then saw that he was looking at details, and his eyebrows knitted together as he looked at one spot that he liked.

"All I did was pit pocket it from a new Krimson Guard that just arrived here yesterday," Tubal said while lying on his back, and he put his hands behind his head. "With that we should get out of here in seconds."

Jak looked up and smiled at Tubal then gave the map to his friend. Nea stayed quiet and thought about everything. They would have to have a big plan. And what would they do after they got out?

"How do you like it, kid?" Tubal asked Jak while taking his map back. Jak nodded to show that he liked it very much. Tubal gave a laugh while messing with Jak's hair. Jak gave a silent laugh while Tubal grabbed his shoulder. "Just think, kid!" Tubal said a light twinkled in his eyes. "We will be out of here in just a few days! We can go back to the city and take down the Baron. We three will be unstoppable!" Jak gave another silent laugh at his friend's actions and nodded.

"Whoa! Hang on there you two," Nea said while taking the map from Tubal. "We have to plan out everything in detail! It might take awhile. We need something that will work out perfectly. To do that, it might take us weeks! Don't think we are leaving tomorrow night."

"Yeah, I know," Tubal admitted while letting go of Jak's shoulder. "I've been here for three whole years! Getting a team together to plan an escape is big for me. I've wanted freedom in such a long time. I'm so close to it right now!"

_Wow. Three years living in this kind of place might drive me insane!_ Jak thought while sitting crossed legged on the floor. _But I'm not going to be here for three years. I'm getting myself out of here even if I have to kill myself doing it. I'm not making this place my home._

"So what's the plan?" Tubal asked Nea with a smile. Nea frowned at him. She had nothing in mind. They had a map. They knew two areas of the fort from top to bottom. They had so many options. It was time to brainstorm.

In low whispers the small team started to plot out their escape. First they had to plan the escape route. Then they needed stuff for after they were out.

"We should set a date for our escape," Tubal said. "We need a dead line. Without one we will just keep wishing and not do anything."

Jak held up two fingers then mouthed out the word _months_. "Yeah," Nea said with a nod. "Two or three months will do it. We can only meet on Sundays and when eating. But that is too dangerous if we discuss this while eating."

A bell rung off in the distance, and all three looked up with frowns. They only had free time in the fort for only an hour. They could not believe that a whole hour had gone by. Planning an escape from an evil fort sure does make time go by fast!

"I got to go, guys!" Tubal said while picking up his map. "That was the bell."

"Wait!" Nea said at the last minute. "Give the map to the kid. No one will think that he would have it. It will be perfect! And start collecting anything that could work as a weapon. We will have another meeting like this next Sunday. Don't ever talk or ask about it all this week. We will see you tomorrow morning for breakfast."

"Good," Tubal said with a nod. He gave the map to Jak and gave him a wink. "See you guys at breakfast." With that said, he left their tent to his own for some sleep. Jak looked at the map in his hands then put it under his shirt and gave a yawn.

"Lights out!" a Krimson Guard patrol yelled as he past Jak and Nea's tent. He walked around the tents all the time to make sure that no one could escape. They heard his feet crunch the rocks outside their tent, and Nea quickly blew out their lantern. How could Jak sleep when he had so much on his mind?

* * *

Around a week latter the three were eating dinner on a Friday night. It was some chicken soup with water. It was better than what they used to get, but it was not the best. Tubal was going on about how he won first in some running race with his team. Nea just nodded while her head was somewhere else. Jak's head was not even facing the two. His eyes were set on a pistol sitting next to the place they put dirty dishes.

It was a good weapon. Jak knew that his little team could not escape with only tiny sharp rocks, rope, and sticks. Jak looked back to Nea and Tubal. He finally noticed that they kept steeling glances at the weapon too. They all wanted and needed it.

Jak took a sip from his soup to finish eating then looked up to Nea and Tubal. He gave them a wink then got up to put his dirty dishes away. His heart started to race for every step he got closer to the weapon. He then sucked it up and put his dishes away then grabbed the pistol in one quick move.

Jak turned around and bumped into a Krimson Guard. He gave a silent gasp of surprise. Jak put his hands behind his back and shoved the weapon under his shirt and tucked his shirt into his pants so it could not fall out. He gave a smile to the Krimson Guard and stepped to the left to get past him. The Krimson Guard blocked him.

"What do you have behind your back, boy?" the Krimson Guard asked with a gruff voice.

Jak shrugged to show that he did not know. He lifted his hands up to show nothing was in them. The KG did not like his answer and narrowed his eyes at him. The Krimson Guard was about to grab Jak's shoulder to report him to Mr. Devo, but Tubal was already there to save the teen.

"Hey!" Tubal said while patting the Krimson Guard on the shoulder in a kind of friendly manner. "The kid is mute. He can't answer even if he wanted to. You must be a new Krimson Guard."

"Yeah. I got here just a week ago," the Krimson Guard said while looking at Tubal. "So this kid could not do anything?"

"The kid?" Tubal asked like he did not even know Jak. "He's like all innocent kids." Tubal then took the Krimson Guard aside and whispered just enough for Jak to hear. "He is a bit crazy too. That is only why he is in the fort. Don't pay any attention to him."

"Okay," the Krimson Guard said slowly. He looked at Jak who pretended to be insane. He was looking at his spoon and making faces into it. Jak was playing a pretty good part, and Tubal was having trouble keeping down a laugh. "Thanks for telling me that. I've been so lost here. I lost my map on my second day here. The prisoners here are more nice to me than the other Krimson Guards." He then walked off.

"Sucker," Tubal whispered to Jak with a sly smile. "Krimson Guards were never that bright. They most likely became Krimson Guards because a fortune cookie told them to."

Jak gave a silent laugh again, and they both sat down with Nea. She gave them a smile because she saw everything. "You play a good crazy person, kid," she said to Jak. His eyes went wide when she said this then he rolled them as Tubal and Nea laughed at him.

They did not talk about the pistol at all or how great a job Jak did of taking it and hiding it. All that talk would be only at a meeting on a Sunday. Jak kept his weapon under his shirt with the map till they got to his tent. He then dug a hole in the ground and put it there and covered it. It was a good hiding place.

Nea gave him a smile before blowing out the lantern that night. She was a good friend. Jak did not think of their relationship as a romantic one, though. She was way too old for him. She could be around 7 years older than him at the least. She was just a very good friend. Plus, Jak knew that he and Kiera were meant for each other. He wondered if he would ever see her again. After going through that rift gate everything fell apart. Jak just hoped that his life was the worst of the people that went through the rift gate.

A/N: Sorry for short chapter and not responding to reviews. I had to type this thing up really quick because this weekend I'm going from PA to NC for some wedding thing. No computer. No Internet. No updating my fan fictions. It sucks. But I have to go. Next chapter you get to find out what Roxie and Daxter are up to and where Merlander is. I'm going to try and write it on my 9 hour trip down to NC. Please give a review, and please pray for my family to have a safe trip down and back up. Thanks!


	25. Chapter 25 TuyaAmber

A/N: Stupid NC! Old people are boring! I just spent my whole weekend eating cheese and cake and gettinged by the thousands of old people taking pictures and getting scared from coo-coo clocks! All we had at this party for my grandma and grandpa was cake! And when we were taking pictures so many people had to take some of us. Then this little old lady comes in with this **HUGE** old camera and the flash pretty much kills the people around her. The place we stayed at had this scary coo-coo clock that scared the living crap out of me whenever it went off. I'm so happy to be home!

Sorry for the long authors note. I just had to get that all out. But this chapter will be long. I'm putting in a new character that will be a main character in my sequel. Yes. I'm making a sequel. Please RR. Thanks!

Daxter: "And she does not own anything from Jak2. You forgot that, you know?"

Me: "Yeah. I have STML and ADD. And some times I forget to finish…" Long pause.

Daxter: "Yeah. I kind of noticed that."

Me: "What? Were you talking to me?"

Daxter: "Forget it. You're pathetic. Readers! Just read!"

Me: "And don't forget to review!"

Chapter 25

Morph came at the two like a dog when his loving master comes home. He came flying into their faces with a boatload of morph spit and a big tongue. Roxie started to giggle as Daxter tried to get all the spit off his face.

After a long sigh Daxter asked his friend, "How 'bout some light?"

"At your service," Roxie said with a wide smile. The tent was pitch black, but when Roxie held up her hand it suddenly exploded with a green glow. Roxie held a ball of green eco in her hand, and the bright light from it was an amazing sight to see.

"Ooo!" was the only thing Morph could say as he stared up at her hand with wide eyes. Daxter gave Roxie a wide smile and put his hands on his hips while looking around the green tent. Roxie giggled at Morph's response. It was as if the little blob was mesmerized by its light.

"Let's get started," Daxter said in a whisper. "Let's try the glass cabinet first. I'm sure old Moddy has a map of the palace in there."

"Moddy!" Morph sung out then kept repeating it till the nickname was dead.

"How do we get the thing open?" Roxie asked Daxter as the orange fuzz ball hopped off her shoulder. "We don't have the key."

"I don't know," Daxter said with a shrug. "You're the smart one of the group."

"Ch!" Roxie said while rolling her eyes. "Yeah right. I'm not that smart." They both looked at each other through the glowing green light and cracked up. "I guess this whole team is not that smart," Roxie said between laughs.

"Shh! Stop laughing. Someone could hear us," Daxter said in the middle of laughing. "We have to get the glass case open."

Roxie took a deep breath and let it out slowly to stop laughing to finally get serious. "I say we blow it up with one of my dice! It should be sweet!" Roxie said while fumbling with her dice in her belt pocket. A wicked smile was on her face, and her eyes glowed with delight of blowing something up.

"That is a great idea," Daxter cooed with a smile. He then frowned and yelled, "If you want to wake the whole freaking city! Plus, we would set our map on fire. Have any other ideas?"

Roxie's lower lip quivered as if she was going to cry out of disappointment. She just plopped down on the floor in despair and muttered, "I have nothing else." She really wanted to blow it up.

Daxter smacked his forehead in frustration then folded his arms in front of him while shaking his head at Roxie. She just kept pouting. Daxter finally gave a sigh of defeat then said, "Okay. You can blow it up."

"Wicked SWEET!" Roxie rejoiced while taking out her dice once again. She put in her fingerless gloved hand and was about to throw it hard at the glass case. Daxter closed his eyes and plugged his ears with his fingers to prepare for the explosion.

"Hold it right there, Miss Roxie!" Mod yelled from the door. Daxter opened one eye and gave him an innocent smile. Roxie turned around with the dice still in her hand. A tiny boom came from inside her fist and spoke lingered up from it. She then hid her hand behind her back and played Mod a smile.

"Put the dice down," Mod demanded from the door of the tent. "Now!" Roxie dropped the remaining pieces of her dice and looked to the floor as if she was a bad puppy getting scolded.

"Now tell me what you two think you're doing," Mod said with a frown planted on his face.

* * *

Merlander flew his fingers through his spiky, blond hair as he walked down the steps to the Underground hideout. He could not fall asleep in Roxie's house while he needed work done. He had things to do. Like Daxter had said, he never slept.

Merlander walked past the bunk beds and noticed a Human was sitting on one. She had a blue blanket wrapped around her body. She looked to be around 15 in her years. She had jet-black hair that came down to her chin. Her deep brown eyes looked up at him with question in them. She had a pad in her lap and a pencil in her hand. With one look at Merlander she already had an idea on what to draw and started at it without looking up again.

"Where did she come from?" Merlander asked Torn while giving the girl a forced smile.

Torn looked over to the Human, and Merlander knew he was questioning himself to tell Merlander who she was. His stern eyes then focused on the teen Elf in front of him, and he said, "Her name is Amber. Ashlen and I found her at Dead Town just yesterday. She does not speak our language, so I took her to Pecker for him to translate. She said she was from Earth or something and came here by a portal through something called the Mid-Atlantic Ridge." (A/N: Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Shorten that. MAR. See it now?)

"Do you believe her?" Merlander asked while folding his arms in front of him and raising an eyebrow.

Torn gave a sigh then finally said, "It is just crazy enough to be real. The Oracle said that there was a portal on Earth, and a legend said that one would come from the past and help, so maybe she is someone important. Plus, I know her father. He came here a few times, but I never knew he had come from Earth."

Merlander gave Torn a wide smile as if to say Torn was insane. Torn narrowed his eyes at the teen to give him a hint to be quiet. "Just give me my mission," Merlander finally said while glancing at the mysterious girl.

"Okay," Torn said while folding his hands in front of his chest. "Your mission is to take Amber to your mom's store and get her some real clothes."

Merlander's eyes went wide, and he whirled back to Torn. "Are you insane! I'm not going back to my mom's store. I'm wanted remember? Or did you not gain that information yet?"

"Yeah, I know that," Torn said while giving Merlander a mean smile. "But I think you still have the guts to do it. You've done more dangerous things for me in the past. This one won't be so tough. Plus, you could get lucky. She could be closed for the night by now."

Merlander opened his mouth to say some other protest, but he could think of nothing. "You owe me one," Merlander finally said while narrowing his eyes at the leader. "How do I get her to come with me when she does not speak Elfish?"

Torn shrugged his shoulders and said, "Use your imagination."

* * *

"Okay, okay!" Daxter whispered to his friend from where he sat on her shoulder. "The code is…I can't make it out."

"How do I put that into numbers?" Roxie asked.

"No. I can't read Moddy's handwriting," Daxter said while giving the piece of paper to Roxie with a sigh. "I still can't believe he is letting us sneak into the palace to steal some money for Black Water and your mom."

"But he thinks we are mapping out the treasure room," Roxie said while looking at Mod's chicken scratch. "It will not kill him if we just 'barrow' some treasure for my mom and Black Water."

"We are going to map it out, right?" Daxter asked.

"Yeah," Roxie answered while typing in a few keys on a little keyboard. A door opened to a tiny elevator, and the two went in. "I wonder how he got that code." The floor then started to fly upwards, and it pushed her to the floor. Daxter laughed at her balance as he fell off her shoulder and hit the ground too. "Shut up," Roxie snapped at him as she stood up again and brushed herself off.

Daxter climbed up to her shoulder again with a chuckle. He started to dust himself off. The elevator jerked to a stop, and Daxter flew upwards with a yell of surprise. He came back down to her shoulder in a ball of nerves and his eyes wide with horror.

Roxie laughed loudly as the fuzz ball clung onto her shoulder. "Let's go," she said with a giggle. Daxter cleared his throat and smoothed down the hair that was sticking up. He frowned at Roxie to make her shut up.

Roxie walked out to the long ledge that lead all the way to the top of the palace. It was a bit slippery because it had just rained. With grim faces the two looked over the edge. A long, long, long ways down was the city. It made the two feel sick.

"I vote we go back," Daxter said while tightening his grip on Roxie's shoulder. "If we fall we will go splat. I don't want to go splat!"

"It is no big deal," Roxie said with her voice cracking off at the end. "If we just keep walking straight we should get there soon. I'm just glad no one put security stuff up here yet."

"Mod said this was the perfect time to sneak in because they are doing that next week," Daxter said with weary in his voice. "But we don't have to do it."

"Stop worrying, Dax," Roxie said. "Just don't look down."

* * *

Merlander's head racked for the little Human language he did learn from Bo. He only knew simple words from the old language. He walked up to Amber, and her eyes slowly rose from her pad to look at him. She gave him a quizzical look then looked back down to her pad to finish her drawing.

She tore off her new picture and held it up for Merlander to see. "For you," she said in her language, and the two Elves did not understand. Merlander took the picture into his hands and studied it closely.

It was of him. Everything was in such detail it just blowed him away. It was a drawing of him standing up straight with one hand a fist at his side and the other hand holding a pistol. But what was really detailed was his face. It showed his whole personality. His eyes were focused on something ahead, and a sly smile played at his lips. It showed his serious side, yet the smile still showed that he could be funny. His eyes showed deep determination in them. Everything in the picture was still mysterious to top it all off.

Merlander looked at Amber with a bit of shock in his eyes. She gave him a sweet smile. For less than a second Merlander saw her eyes change from the deep brown to a fire burning red. But they quickly turned back.

Torn looked up and came over to Merlander. "I see she made you your picture," he said while taking the drawing out of Merlander's hands. "She did a great job on this one too," Torn said with a chuckle. "She has a gift."

Merlander just nodded to Torn then set his attention back to the girl. "Follow me," he said in Human. Amber looked at Merlander with a strange look then gave a nod like she understood.

She started to say something in Human then gave a sigh when she saw the confused look on Merlander's face. She guessed that he knew only a little bit of Human. So she threw her pad and pencil into her leather backpack by her side and stood up. She was wearing an outfit that Tess let her barrow.

"We're leaving now," Merlander called out to Torn. Torn just gave them a two finger salute without even looking up to say goodbye. Merlander gave a sigh of frustration then lead Amber out of the Underground.

* * *

"Don't look down," Daxter repeated over and over again. He clung onto Roxie's shoulder like his life depended on it. Once and a while he gave a groan of nervousness. Roxie just kept walking along the wide path that lead to the top of the high palace with a smile on her face.

"Stop smiling," Daxter finally demanded while glancing at her. "It is creepy!"

"First, you don't like dust," Roxie said. "Then now heights. Is there anything that you do like?"

"I like chocolate," Daxter said randomly, and as he said it his little ears perked up. This made Roxie giggle, and he gave her a strange look. "You scare me sometimes," he said to her while shifting his weight on her shoulder.

A funny idea entered Roxie's head, and she smiled up to Daxter. He was not looking at her. His eyes were focused ahead to past the time. Roxie did a fake trip on the wet surface of the metal and slipped to one side of the bridge. She let out a false scream as if she was going to fall over the edge.

Daxter freaked out as she tipped one way. "Roxie! We're going to die!" he screamed while crawling to her head in fright. Roxie fell to her butt in a laughing fit. It took a few seconds for Daxter to realize that it was all just a trick, and he was not going to die.

He frowned at her and said, "You're pathetic! Despicable! That was so mean! Don't ever do that again! ARGE!" He threw his hands in the air and started to walk the way they came from.

Roxie exploded into another fit of laughter. She then saw that Daxter was heading back. She stopped and asked, "Where are you going? The palace is that way." She pointed behind her.

"Yeah," Daxter said angrily as he whirled around to face her. "I'm going to let the insane dice princess go that way. At least I know this way is safe."

"Stop being such a baby," Roxie muttered while getting up. "Get over here, fuzzy!" He did not obey her this time. She then used her Mind Speaking, and his thoughts came to her. She smiled when she heard him give a chuckle in her head.

_You can stop now,_ came his thought into her head. _I know when you are listening to me._

"So what?" Roxie yelled back at him. A smile spread across Daxter's face, but she could not see it because his back was to her. "Fine! I'll just get you myself." She then quickly came at him.

"Hey! Don't touch me!" Daxter yelled while running away. She lunged for him, and he jumped up and landed on her head. He then started to run towards the palace while laughing behind his shoulder. Roxie landed on the hard metal with her face first. She looked up to see Daxter already at palace and smiled.

* * *

Merlander waited outside the changing room. Torn was right. His mom was already gone for the night. He had the place to himself. He had a bored look on his face as he leaned against a clothes rack. Girls always took a long time to change. He never understood that. Some things will always remain a mystery to guys.

Finally Amber came out with her new outfit on. She had on a tight short sleeve shirt that was a deep red color. She had jet-black baggy pants that had a few rips on the knees. Her shoes were white sneakers with red dragonheads printed on the sides, but no one could see them because of the pants. Her belt was red with a few metal studs in it. She also had on a pure silver little necklace with a small dragonhead charm on it. It was already hers.

She was extremely beautiful for one her age. She gave Merlander another one of her small smiles, and Merlander finally saw the few cute freckles on her checks. She was cute and beautiful. He returned the smile and saw that her eyes were set on a rack of gloves behind him.

Merlander took her to them, and she picked out ones she liked. They were leather black fingerless gloves that gave her a slight punk look. She liked them a lot and showed it by saying thanks in her language. Merlander did not know what it meant at first, so she just hugged him to show it.

Merlander let out a small yell of pain because his side still hurt. Amber let go right away and blushed from embarrassment. He lifted up his shirt to show her the bandage to show that it was because he yelled. She pushed her hair behind her ear and gave him another smile. The same strange thing happened with her eyes again, and Merlander made note of it. Something was strange with this girl.

The two moved to a mirror. Amber looked at herself and gave a nod while saying something in her language that Merlander realized meant "sweet". Bo used it often. He repeated it to show that he understood, and she gave him a laugh.

Amber was nice. She was pretty and smart. So far she knew simple words of the Elf language without anybody else telling her them. She was quiet and just liked to sit back and watch. She wanted to blend into the Elf culture. She wanted to fit in so soon.

"We need to get you a new name because Amber is so different," Merlander said in his language. She looked up at him when he said her name, and she gave him a nod. Merlander knew the word for 'name' in Human, but he did not know 'new'.

"Amber," the girl said while pointing to herself. He nodded and tried to get her to understand he wanted to give her a new name that was not so strange to their tongue. After a few seconds of acting out a few things, she got it and smiled.

"Someone really has to teach you Elfish," Merlander said with a sigh. "Tess and I should make Torn teach you. That would crack anyone up."

"Name?" she asked while pointing to him. Just in those few seconds she caught onto what the word for 'name' was in Elfish. She was a fast learner.

"Merlander," he said while pointing to himself. He then pointed to her and said, "Tuya."

She liked it. Merlander just liked the name because it was the name of a flower that grew in Haven Forest. It had just popped into his head. It was a bright, red flower that reminded Merlander of Amber's red outfit and her strange eyes that kept changing that color.

"Sweet," she said in Human. "Me like," she then said in Elfish. She seemed to have two sides to her. She was such a mystery to him. One part of him really liked her, but she was just not his type. Plus, she was Human. She was too young for him to like her. Another part of him knew there was something she just wasn't showing. But he did not feel like it was a bad thing. Maybe it was just a thing of her past she was hiding.

* * *

"That was too easy," Roxie whispered while opening up the large window above the throne room in the palace. She took out the green eco crystal from her pocket and smiled at Daxter. "Let's jump," she said to Daxter with an evil smile then slipped the crystal back into the pocket.

"Don't tell me you don't have any ropes," Daxter said with his smile dropping.

"Just don't scream like a girl, kay?" she said while grabbing him. She then threw herself into the room. Daxter took in a big gasp of surprise, but kept himself from screaming. The room had tall ceilings, so it took around five seconds or so to hit the ground.

Roxie glowed green right before hitting the red carpet floor. She landed lightly on the ground with a giant smile on her face. She had felt nothing when she landed. She looked up to Daxter, and he smiled back. He was fine also.

"What way to the treasure room?" Roxie asked Daxter in a soft whisper. "You can be the navigator. Here is the map." She shoved the holographic map into her friend's hands. He pressed a button on it, and the holographic screen popped up.

He studied it for a little while then said, "This way. We are really close to it. This should be a piece of cake."

Roxie gave him a nod then ran across the room to the big double doors to a hallway. She opened them as quietly as she could and slipped into the hallway. They kept low to the ground and hurried down the hall. They turned a corner and quickly went back and hid behind the wall.

"That's the room," Daxter said to Roxie as quietly as he could.

"Two guards and a big vault," Roxie muttered for only Daxter and herself to hear. Sometimes saying what your thinking helps. "I don't crack vaults, Dax. How come that stupid Moddy never told me about this?"

"He did," Daxter answered dryly. "But you were in your own world at the time. He said it needed one of the guard's security passes to get in. We need to take them down to ever get in. But quietly! We don't want to wake up the whole palace. No blowing up things."

"Fine!" Roxie snapped back at him. "I'll do this the old fashioned way. Hang on."

She then jumped out from behind the corner into the open for the two guards to see. She ran up to them and gave a hard punch to the first guard. After throwing the punch she leaned forward and pushed off the ground with her hands to kick the other guard in the stomach.

Roxie landed on her feet and turned around to face the first guard. He grabbed her wrist in a hard grip. She gritted her teeth together and slammed her knee into his groin area. A sly smile came to her face as the guy fell to his knees in big pain. She then took his gun and knocked him out with one big whack to his head.

"Behind you!" Daxter whispered. Roxie swiftly turned around and ducked as the second guard tried to punch her. She whipped her leg under his feet, and he took to the ground. His gun flew out of his hands, and she grabbed it before it hit the ground. She then slammed it down on his forehead, and he was out in seconds.

"I love my job," Roxie whispered to herself while looking at her work before her. Two Krimson Guards were knocked out in front of her. She held two guns, and she placed them next to each guard. "Have a good sleep, boys," she said to the guards. "And never underestimate a woman!"

A/N: Sorry that I could not return reviews. I've just been so busy with school and stuff. I've had no time to work on this fan fiction for two weeks. I'm just glad I had time to day or you would not see this chapter till next week. How do you like Amber/Tuya so far? She will be a main character in my sequel. I took a long time thinking her out, so I hope my readers like her. I love her outfit, though! It is sweet! As you can see that is my favorite word. SWEET! Please give a review! Thanks!


	26. Chapter 26 Stealing From the Baron

A/N: My laptop, or my baby as I call it, broke down for a whole week. That is why this chapter took a long time to get out. I was really mad and sad at the same time. My baby is my life. (Pathetic. I know.) It had this big bug in it and took forever to get it out. But it is okay now. So please chapter and review it! Don't own anything from Jak2! Sorry that I'm only responding to only a few people.

Rob the Hedgehog: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you like Tuya/Amber. And the language gap will be gone soon because the girl is a fast learner. I hope I don't disappoint!

Authraw: Roxie is good with beating guys up. If you remember from my second chapter she beat the heck out of Erol. That was funny. I love looking over old chapters. Anywho, glad you liked my new character.

WRTD: Glad you liked Roxie's trick. It made me laugh. And you're very close about Tuya. And dragons do rule! They are SWEET! Thanks for the review!

Red Hawk K'sani: Not a Marry Sue! That was what I've been trying to prevent! But I think I'll change your mind after a few chapters of her. She does have one big fault that you will see later. Thanks for the review and for being honest about my character. I like it when people speak their mind to me.

Chapter 26

"Quickly, quickly!" Daxter whispered to Roxie while shifting to different feet out of nervousness. "Sooner or later someone will find the vault door open and will come after us."

"You can map out the place, Dax," Roxie whispered. She held up one of the guard's security pass to the vault door and it swooshed open. They stepped into the big room with wicked smiles on their faces.

The room was large with around five other little vaults that lined the walls. The floor was made of marble, and the vaults were made of thick glass. The two could see everything inside the compartments. But they were only looking for some cash.

"This one," Daxter said while pointing to one that was filed with different colored money. "How do we get in? Mod never told us about inside the treasure room because he had never been in here."

"Okay," Roxie started while putting her hands on her hips and looking over the situation. "You map out the place while I figure out what to do with the vaults. Maybe that light saber will do it."

"You got it," Daxter said while jumping off her shoulder. Roxie took off her backpack and set it in the middle of the room. Daxter dug into it till he found what he wanted. First he took out a pad of paper and a pen. He then took out a few measuring lasers to get the perfect size of the room.

"Work fast," Roxie told him while taking out the light saber and looking it over. "We don't have all night." She took out a pair of goggles from the backpack and put them around her neck. She then walked over to the glass vault with the money inside.

"With one touch of the glass you set off a ton of alarms," Daxter told her while taking out a tiny camera. "Just be careful."

"Yeah, yeah," Roxie answered while putting her goggles on. "I know, fuzzy. Just let the dice princess do her stuff." Daxter rolled his eyes while taking a picture of a video camera that watched the two work.

"I'm sure they will be coming because they are watching us right now," Daxter said while pointing to the video camera. Roxie gave him a thumbs up sign. She bent down to the vault and used the light saber. A few sparks flew up, but the two did not really care.

"Bingo," Roxie said while she stopped and stood up. She opened the door to the vault with a smile. "Are you done, Dax?"

"Give me a sec," Daxter answered while reading a laser and making note of it on his pad. "Just a few more measurements. This room was too easy. Maybe I should become a map maker when I want to start working full time."

"Ch!" Roxie responded while taking off the goggles. She grabbed a handful of money and shoved it into the pack. "That is like me becoming the leader of a tree hugger group."

"Done," Daxter said while giving Roxie a dirty glare. "Let's get out of here."

"Hold the phone," Roxie said with a wicked smile coming to her face. "Let's leave the Baron and Erol a little note." Daxter raised an eyebrow in interest. Roxie grabbed one of her dice and set it next to the vault. She tore off a piece of paper from Daxter's pad and started to write. It said…

_Dear King and his suck up,_

It looks like you need more security. We would love to stick around to see your faces, but we have to leave. Love, Dice Princess and Orange Lightning. P.S. In your faces!

Daxter laughed while reading the note and jumped to her shoulder. They ran out of the room, and Roxie grabbed one of the guard's pistols before running down the hall.

"I couldn't help myself," she said with a smile to Daxter. He just rolled his eyes in response. Daxter opened up the palace map again, and they decided to go to the zoomer bay to "borrow" a zoomer for their own.

"This is kind of fun, you know?" Roxie told Daxter while walking into the zoomer bay. She held her hand into the air and sparked up a ball of green eco to light up the room. The place was five times bigger than the last room with zoomers lined up in rows and all painted the same blood red color.

"I guess so," Daxter said with a smile. "It was a lot better than I thought it would be. Too easy."

"Not that easy," came the creepy voice from behind them. The huge flood lights made a loud boom as they came on to revel all of the room.

"Crap!" Daxter and Roxie both said together. Roxie glanced behind her at Erol and did not waist time talking. She started to run down the path of red Krimson Guard zoomers. He took out his pistol and started to shoot at her. She ducked and then hid behind a zoomer.

"We need to open the bay's door," Roxie told Daxter while starting to quickly move around the zoomers. Erol started to shoot at her again, and the bullets bounced off the zoomers. The sound echoed around the bay.

"I'll take care of that," Daxter told her while crawling down her shoulder to the dirty floor of the zoomer bay. "You just find a zoomer you like. And make it good."

"I'll cover you," she said while taking out the pistol. "Go." She then started to shoot at Erol. She saw the surprised look on his face as she almost got him. He rolled out of the way and hid behind a zoomer. Daxter was already gone.

"Take this, you wimp!" Roxie yelled while shooting wildly at the zoomer Erol was behind. It finally blew up with a giant boom and sent Erol flying backwards and into the wall. Roxie let out a whoop of joy and pumped her fist into the air.

"I need backup!" Erol spat into his radio. He got up from the ground while coughing into his fist. This was the second time he would have to take a double shower that week. He then saw the bay's giant door slowly open.

"She is not escaping this time!" he muttered to himself while running toward the power station to close the door. He went into a sprint for the power station. Bullets from Roxie's pistol flew up all around him, but none hit him. She was not used to a pistol. Then they stopped. She was out of bullets. He heard her swear, and her voice echoed around the room as if mimicking her.

Erol got to the steps leading up to the control table. He went up two at a time. He jumped on the last step and did a flip before landing. He searched the panel with a smile on his face.

"Forget it, big ego person," Daxter said from behind. Erol turned his head around with an amused smile on his face. "Don't get too cocky," Daxter said while yanking hard on the cord in his hands. He had tied a cord around Erol's legs.

"AH!" Erol yelled while losing his balance with his legs pulled together. He fell to his face. He looked up to Daxter with a dirty look on his face. But Daxter was already gone.

"Stupid rat!" Erol said to himself while getting up. He pressed the button for the door to close and smiled. "They will never make it," he said with an evil gleam in his eyes.

"Roxie!" Daxter yelled while running down the path of zoomers. "Great, she left me!" he said to himself as he saw nothing. A loud honk sounded behind him. He turned around with a smile and saw Roxie coming at him with a giant KG zoomer. She grabbed him by the back of his neck and set him on the seat next to her.

"Hang on to your seat, Dax," Roxie said while giving him a wink. "This will be close." She then slammed on the gas pedal and they flew forward. The door was almost closed. Roxie put the pedal to the metal.

"AH!" Daxter yelled. They were going to get crushed by the door. At the last second Roxie zipped out of the door. She then forced the zoomer down and did not let up on the gas. "We can slow down now!" Daxter yelled while gripping the seat with wide eyes. They were going straight down.

"No way!" Roxie yelled back over the wind. "This is too much fun!" Daxter felt like he was blasting through that rift gate again at the speed they were going. "I would love to see Erol's face now!" Roxie yelled over to Daxter. He just gave her a strange look to say that she was the most freakiest thing he had ever seen.

Roxie then let off the gas and pulled up as hard as she could. Daxter's stomach felt like it did a flip. Roxie let out a grunt of frustration as she lightly tapped on the brakes to slow the craft down.

At the last moment the cruiser pointed up and it was inches away from the hard ground. Roxie did a few swerves to stay in control and finally returned to normal speed. She glanced over to Daxter and laughed at him. His hair stood up and he gave her a frown.

"That was…SWEET!" Roxie yelled for the whole world to hear. "We should do this more often! How 'bout it?"

"Pass," Daxter said in a monotone voice. "I would rather blow something up. I don't do heights."

"I'll just take Morph with me next time, then," Roxie said with a smile. She glanced over to Daxter and he broke out into a smile. "Ha! Just tell me it was fun! I know you had a blast."

"Fine," Daxter said with his smile widening. "That was SWEET! Whoa-who!" Roxie laughed at him for using her sayings and he laughed too. "It was great, Roxie, but that is enough adventure for one day. Oh no."

"What?" Roxie asked him with her smile fading. She looked down to him and saw that he was looking ahead at something. She looked up and saw what he was looking at. It was Merlander with another girl behind him on a zoomer.

"Just act normal," Daxter said. "Turn here!"

"But Mod's place is straight ahead," Roxie snapped back with annoyance.

"We can't let Merlander see us," Daxter said. "He would freak and tell your mom and dad. Then how would they react?"

"Good point," Roxie said while making the sharp turn. "Do you think they saw us?"

"Roxie!" someone yelled from behind them. "Stop!"

"Uh…yeah," Daxter said with a grim smile coming to his face. Roxie gave a long sigh while slowing her cruiser down to a stop. She slouched down in her seat in defeat. "Look at the bright side," Daxter said with a nervous laugh. Roxie glared at him but he kept going. "No more secrets, right?"

"What the heck are you doing out at two in the morning on a KG cruiser?" Merlander yelled at her. She heard him jump off his zoomer and walk over to hers. His boots crunched the ground below him as he stomped over to her with anger in his footsteps.

"I was…going on a joy ride!" Roxie said while popping her head up over her seat to look over at Merlander. Daxter popped his head up next to her and nodded his head to agree with his friend. They then both gave Merlander innocent smiles. The human girl on his zoomer gave a small giggle at their actions.

Merlander glared at them in silence for a few seconds as if he did not know how to approach the matter. "Forget it," he finally said while looking down to his feet. "I don't care what you do, Roxie." He turned around and stood there.

"I…I'm sorry, Merlander," Roxie said as if she was begging for forgiveness. Merlander smiled as his little trick worked. Roxie was too much of a kid. The guilt trip could work on her any time. "Fine, I'll tell you what we were doing. Dax and I took a trip to the palace and mapped out the treasure room for Mod."

"And we kind of 'borrowed' some money while we were there," Daxter added with a funny tone to his voice.

"Borrowed, ey?" Merlander asked them while turning around. "Define that in detail."

"Um…taking it from the Baron without asking and having no thoughts of bringing it back to him," Daxter said with a smile. Merlander raised an eyebrow at the long description and Daxter and Roxie nodded at the same time.

"You guys are pathetic," Merlander said with a laugh. "I leave you alone for two seconds and you bust into the palace and steal some money and take a cruiser with you. I'm not taking my eyes off you for even two seconds now."

"We borrowed!" Roxie said to correct him. "You said steal. We did not steal."

"Right, sure," Merlander said while walking back to his zoomer. "You're coming with me now back home."

"But we have to go to Moddy's place," Daxter said quickly.

"Moddy?" Merlander asked him in confusion. Daxter nodded and Merlander got it and shook his head in amusement. The name was kind of funny. "Fine, go there and head straight back home. Or I'll tell your parents."

Roxie gasped as she thought of that. "Let's go, Dax!" she said quickly. She started her zoomer and tried to turn the big thing around. She ended up crashing into the building next to it. The gutter broke and sent a waterfall down on Daxter and Roxie's heads.

"Smooth," Merlander said while hopping on his zoomer with Tuya. She stared at Roxie with shock. She had no idea what they had been talking about. She wished so badly to know the language.

"That was just great!" Daxter yelled while sputtering water out of his mouth. Merlander laughed loudly at what had just happened. "Next time be a little bit more graceful, okay?" Daxter shouted to Roxie.

Roxie sat in her seat in silence. The whole zoomer was filled with gross gutter water that had been clogged up with leaves and slim. Now she and Daxter were covered with it. She picked up a soggy leaf off her nose and threw it away.

Merlander kept laughing. Roxie glared at him then got an idea. She grabbed the rest of the gutter and pointed it at Merlander then bent it so it pointed down at him and Tuya. Before he could do anything a spray of water hit his face and Tuya's.

"Feel better now?" Daxter asked her with a smile. Merlander looked himself over. Tuya was gasping in surprise. She glared at Roxie and Daxter with hatred in her eyes that now flashed red in anger.

"Yeah," Roxie answered with a sigh. "Have fun, Mer." He glared up at her in silence. Before he could say anything, she flew away with a laugh.

"She did not just call me Mer," Merlander said.

* * *

"You stink," Sig said to Merlander while sniffing at him. He still smelled of gutter water. Merlander was at the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon to get away from Torn and Tuya. The girl was not happy at all. Torn had only sighed when they got back to the Underground.

"Thanks," Merlander said sarcastically. He gave a sigh and held his head in his hands. The two were waiting for Krew to give them a mission for the night. They sat in one of the booths that lit up in a bright blue neon color.

"You look depressed, kid," Sig said with a touch of concern in his booming voice. "What's been eating ya?"

"Nothing really," Merlander lied with a shrug. "I'm just a bit tiered."

"Um hmm," Sig said while folding his arms and looking straight at Merlander with a frown. "You're not the best liar. How 'bout the truth?"

Merlander gave Sig a weak smile while looking away in thought. "I have my mind real busy now," Merlander said slowly. "My parents, uncle, Black Water, Wasteland, and…" He drifted off at the end.

"And what?" Sig asked with a small smile playing his lips.

"And Roxie," Tess said while coming up to them. Merlander glared at her and she giggled. Tess and Merlander had gone on many missions together because they both signed up for the Underground the same time. She was one of Merlander's good friends. Now she worked undercover for Torn at the Hip Hog to spy on Krew.

"Ooo," Sig said while breaking into a wide smile when seeing Merlander's face turn a slight crimson. "He has a girl on his mind." Tess gave a giggle and Sig chuckled.

"It is nothing," Merlander growled at them while rolling his eyes. "Just a girl. My mission was to protect her from my uncle when Black Water was still going."

"Is she cute?" Sig asked with a smile. Sig sometimes saw Merlander as his son. The teen had no love in his life and knew nothing when he first started out. When he said he wanted to work for Krew everyone had laughed. So Sig took it on himself to show the kid some of his stuff, and now they both worked as spies for the Wasteland.

"Oh, you should see her," Merlander said in total distraction. "She has these big green eyes, and her smile can melt your heart." He stopped when he suddenly realized he had just said too much and the two were laughing at him. "Shut up," was all he could say after that.

"Just kidding with you, kid," Sig said.

"What are you three talking about, ey?" came Krew's gruff voice. Tess quickly went back to work as bartender with a guilty smile on her face.

"Just talking about how to push you out the front door," Merlander answered quickly while flashing Krew an innocent smile. Sig looked at Merlander with shock. The teen was getting braver every day.

Krew was steaming. "I want you two to go on a mission for me," he finally said after taming his anger and glared at Merlander. Merlander got out of the booth to only get whacked by Krew's tiny fan. "Sit down!" he yelled at him. Merlander sat back down with a small smile. Sig tried hard not to laugh.

"I have someone coming to give me some money because I sold him some weapons," Krew said with a smile at the word "weapons". He was deeply in love with them and that was one thing that freaked most people out. "You will met in Dead Town. I want you both to go. Just get my money and give them this box." He pointed to a box filled with special guns in it with his fan.

"Seems easy enough," Merlander said while eyeing the box. He took out his pistol and checked on how much ammo he had left. "Just enough if anything goes wrong."

"And we have the peacemaker," Sig said with a smile. "I think we are ready."

A/N: I'm so glad to have my laptop back! I missed it so much! But please give a review! Sorry that it took a long time to get the chapter out. I just watched that show called _Avatar_. That is the most coolest show! It is really funny too. Sorry for the randomness. I just had two things of Coke so I'm on a caffeine high. Next chapter should be out soon!


	27. Chapter 27 Baby Mozart

A/N: Sorry for not updating in a long time. You guys were bugging me to do so, but I've been really busy with school. I'm one of those people who always wants honor role and will not settle for anything below a B. I know, annoying to everyone else, but that is just me. I was given the gift of knowledge. I'm smart, don't hate me for it. At least I don't shove it into people's faces. So here is the chapter that you people have been waiting for. It is really boring, but I have to have boring chapters to lead up to the good ones. Please R&R. I don't own anything from Jak2. Sorry for not answering reviews!

Chapter 27

"What time is it?" Merlander asked Sig as they walked toward Dead Town. "I have to be at Roxie's home by six."

"You now have a curfew?" Sig asked Merlander with a chuckle.

"Hey, I'm just trying to take care of my team," Merlander said like it was no big deal. But Sig knew him too well. "There still is a Black Water even if Simon is gone."

"You never liked Simon," Sig stated to the teen.

"So he was a bit creepy sometimes," Merlander said with a shrug. "He was still the leader. But it does not make sense. The Baron would have killed him along with the others." Merlander rubbed his forehead as unwanted memories of that day flooded back into his head. He had to force them away. He knew he would forget them just like all the others.

"You need a break," Sig finally said after a long silence. Merlander looked over to him with wide eyes. He was about to say something, but Sig cut him off. "You work too hard, Mer. You need to rest and learn to relax. One your age should not be into all this stuff."

"Relax?" Merlander said with a tinge of anger to his voice. "How can I relax when we have my uncle ruling over us? I have things to do. I have to take care of Black Water, work for Torn and Krew, and spy for the Wasteland! I don't know about you, but taking a break is not on my-to-do list."

Sig looked over to Merlander with concern. The teen always kept everything in. He never had out bursts of any kind. Right now Sig saw that Merlander was breaking apart. His whole life was crashing down on him. He had no parents or loved ones to say that everything was going to be okay. No one to love.

"Look, Merlander," Sig started but Merlander cut him off.

"I'm okay," he said while giving Sig a cocky smile that hid the true pain he was feeling inside. "You don't have to worry. Now give me some slack. This box is a bit heavy." Merlander was back to himself again, and Sig smiled. One thing Merlander hated was pity. He did not want Sig to pity him.

"When do you get sleep, kid?" Sig asked him while lifting up more on his end of the box Krew gave them.

"I already told you," Merlander said. "I have some disease that makes me not sleep. I can try, but sleep will never come. Might as well work late nights."

"You need to go see a doctor about that," Sig said. "Don't you ever sleep?"

"When I get too worn out," Merlander said with a nod. "I'll sleep for around a day. Lock myself into a room and don't wake up till my body is recharged. No big deal. We're here!" Merlander was glad to get off the subject. He knew he had to see a doctor, but he kind of liked staying up for the whole day and night.

The two went through the big door and out to Dead Town. It was early in the morning and they could see a little light coming up on the horizon. They could hear the bugs all around them that only came out for the night. A thick fog quickly covered them, and the cool feeling gave Merlander a chill. He hated coming out here in the dark.

"Hello," Sig called out. "Krew sent us. We are here to give you the guns."

No answer. Sig looked over to Merlander, and the teen gave a shrug. Maybe they were early. They started to walk more into the fog, and the soggy ground under their boots made a squishing sound. They then stopped and waited in creepy silence.

"Drop the box," someone said from behind Merlander. The teen felt cold metal behind his neck and knew he was being held at gunpoint. He nodded to Sig, and they both dropped the box. Now Sig saw the faint outline of the person behind Merlander.

"Open it," the person behind Merlander said to Sig. He grabbed Merlander's arm and pushed him forward to show Sig what was going on. Merlander looked away from Sig and was thankful the fog covered his embarrassed face.

The new guy had short brown hair and tattoos over his face to show he was Krimson Guard. Merlander had never gotten tattoos on his face, because he had not been working that long. With one look at the guy, the two right away did not like the exchange. Krew had been playing them both.

"Open it!" he guy demanded sharply. "I'm not kidding. Krew is known to play tricks on us."

Sig tried opening the box, but it was nailed shut. "I need a crowbar," Sig said while giving up and looking up at Merlander and the other guy. "He always likes playing it the hard way. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind when we get back."

"How do I know you won't just try to knock me out with one?" the Krimson Guard asked Sig.

"Just give him one!" Merlander shouted to him.

"Shut up, kid!" the guy said while digging the pistol more into Merlander's neck. "You're just my insurance. You have no need to talk." Merlander rolled his eyes while shifting around in the grip the guy had on his arm. He was useless.

The Krimson Guard did give Sig a crowbar, though. Sig had the box open in a few minutes. They looked in and saw ten guns in there with straw to protect them from damaging. Three other Krimson Guards came out of nowhere and looked in it too.

"We asked for twenty guns," one guy said. "There is only ten."

"Ten?" Merlander asked with shock. They were stuck in a big mess. "Remind me to knock the living crap out of Krew when we get back."

"If we get back," Sig muttered to himself while slowly standing up. Sig gripped his peacemaker tightly as the men surrounded him. They were all Krimson Guards, and they all did not look too happy at the moment.

"I say we kill the kid and send the other to give a message to Krew that we are not happy," one guy said.

"Krew would not care about the kid, though," another one said. "Let's kill the big one."

"How 'bout both!" some other guy shouted above the rest.

"I've always liked you," Merlander said to the guy holding him with a nervousness smile. In a situation like this it was worth trying everything. If sucking up to someone let you live then Merlander would do it.

"I want to kill the kid!" the Krimson Guard holding Merlander said in a whinny voice. Merlander's smile faded, and he glanced to Sig with a bit of panic.

"Don't kill the teen," came a calm voice from somewhere in the fog. Merlander shuttered when he realized whom the voice belonged to. It was Simon. He walked into the circle so everyone could see him. He had his hands behind his back and a confident smile was planted on his face.

"Why?" one guy asked.

"He has too much information that I need," Simon said while looking over to Merlander. The teen felt like his mind was trying to be opened up, but he quickly blocked the guy's Mind Speaking by concentrating on a thick brick wall. It always worked, but he had to be focused on it.

"So what do we do?" the guy that held Merlander asked Simon. It was clear that Simon was the leader of everyone. Merlander could not understand it. This whole time Simon was working for the Baron, and he had never seen it before.

"Take the box and boy," Simon demanded in a steady voice. "The Baron will not be so mad once I present him with this one of a kind prize. Leave the other guy. We don't need him."

"What could you want with me?" Merlander asked in disgust.

"You under estimate yourself," Simon said to the teen. "You have information about the Underground, Krew, and where Roxie and the rest of the eco freaks are. All I have to do is just take a look inside your head."

"You can't do that with Mind Speaking," Merlander said while shaking his head in disbelieve. He was having trouble keeping Simon out of his head. Too many emotions swam inside him.

Simon gave a cold laugh and said, "There is so much you don't know." He then tapped Merlander on the chin, and Merlander's wall came crashing down. He gave a wince as Simon somehow brought up a flash of memory to Merlander's head about the day Black Water was found. He had seen everyone he ever cared for get shot in front of him. Merlander thought he would never bring up that image.

"That's it!" Sig yelled as he saw Merlander wince. "Say goodbye." He then started to shoot the Krimson Guards around him. There was some yelling and more gunfire, but Merlander's thoughts were only on trying to block Simon out again no mater what it took.

"You're coming with me," Simon said to Merlander while grabbing the teen's arm.

"Don't think so," Sig yelled while throwing a punch at him. Simon ducked and yanked Merlander in front of him. Sig had to stop right away to not hit Merlander in the face. Sig then grabbed Merlander's other arm and tried to pull him free from Simon.

Right before Simon let go of the teen he tried to find something in Merlander's head. He found it and was satisfied with it. He let go of Merlander and stumbled back into the fog to disappear. "Fall back!" he yelled to his men and they quickly vanished into the fog.

"Let's get out of here," Merlander whispered to Sig. They both then ran out of Dead Town and for the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon. Simon and his Krimson Guards did not follow and let the two go. Merlander was just thankful he was not in Simon's hands anymore. It had been too close.

* * *

"Give your report, Simon," the Baron ordered the man standing in front of him. He was seated in the throne room with Erol by his side. Erol had his hands folded in front of him, and his usual frown planted on is face. He had just reported that Roxie and Daxter had stolen some of their money and got away. The Baron was just hoping that Simon would bring good news.

Simon was one of his best spies. He stood up straight and tall in front of the Baron with his hands behind his back in a confident matter that he always seemed to have. His eyes were locked on the Baron.

"Krew only sent ten guns," Simon said with little emotion at all. "But that is not important anymore."

"What do you mean?" the Baron asked with anger in his booming voice.

"One of the men Krew sent is someone with a lot of importance," Simon said. "You might know him. His name is Merlander."

"Merlander?" the Baron asked with a chuckle. A smile crossed his face and he laughed again at the odd idea in his head. He did not notice that Erol looked to the floor when he said this. "Merlander is dead, Simon. I think you saw someone else. Erol told me he shot him. I've heard nothing else about my nephew after that day."

"You can believe me," Simon said with a wicked smile. "Or the guy with the big ego problem standing next to you." Erol shot Simon a dirty glare and knew he was doomed. Simon stepped back and waited for the wrath of the Baron.

Baron Praxis looked over to Erol and saw that he was looking away. "Erol," the Baron said slowly. "What happened to Merlander? And tell me the truth."

Erol sighed and said, "I shot him. I thought he would die, but I guess he didn't."

"You told me he died!" the Baron yelled.

"It does not matter anymore," Simon said with a wave of his hand. The Baron glared at Erol before looking back at Simon. He would deal with him latter.

"Go on," the Baron told Simon. His nephew had always been on his mind. He had secretly watched him at different times.

"You see, your nephew is someone with almost no weaknesses," Simon said. "But everyone has to have at least one." The Baron was liking this. He gave Simon a smile to keep going. "Before he got away I kind of took a peak into his head. I found out he likes the green eco girl, Roxie, I had told him to protect. If we kill or capture her, we could hold the teen in the palm of our hands. Just think of all the information I could get out of him about this city! And he is a great fighter. Maybe would could force him to do a few things for us. He is very important. Be thankful that Erol did not kill him."

The Baron looked to Erol to see if he liked the idea. Erol was smiling. "I like it," Erol said with a nod. "And if the Baron does not mind, I would like to lead this mission. Time to give them a little bit of payback."

"Go ahead," the Baron demanded with an evil smile playing at the corner of his mouth as he leaned back in his chair and thought about how much power he had on the city. He was king. Merlander would be his.

* * *

"Just…just throw it like I showed you, Tuya," Merlander said with frustration flowing in his voice. Tuya looked over to him with a guilty smile coming to her lips. She had never thrown a boomerang before. Merlander was trying to teach her how to use the weapon. She would not use a gun, so he had to come up with something else she might use to protect herself.

Torn had been too busy with the Underground to teach anything to Tuya. He told Merlander to teach her Elfish and how to fight, but Merlander was failing with his mission to do so. Merlander did not know much of Human and was having a hard time teaching her Elfish. And the girl was no fight machine. She did not want to get dirty or work. She was too weak and girly.

Merlander realized that the girl had an eating disorder after only two training sessions with her. She ate little and was very weak. It was kind of obvious. She was so thin and tiny. Merlander knew he had to talk about it to her sooner or later.

As always, Tuya was a fast learner. She understood most of what everyone said now. She could speak little Elfish from what she learned from Merlander and from what she heard around her. Merlander just wished she was as fast with a weapon. She could never protect herself with no training, and in Haven City it was smart to know at least some self-defense.

The two were now in Haven Forest in another training session. Tuya liked coming there with Merlander. She did not like the city. She was a big animal lover too, and she seemed to attract them. She knew so much about them. It baffled Merlander when she walked up to a big group of butterflies one day, and they all landed on her. She had just giggled while Merlander stood there shocked. No one could do that. She had a gift with animals.

"I think I have it," Tuya said with a nod to Merlander. She tilted her hand with the boomerang back then threw it with good form. The boomerang was different than normal ones. Once it was in the air, a sharp edge came out to cut down anything in its path. It was made out of thin metal, and it was one of Bo's creations. Just for Tuya, she had painted a red dragon on it and made a holster for it, so it could hang on her leg for a quick reach.

The boomerang came back, and Tuya caught it by jumping into the air. She gave Merlander a proud smile and, he nodded. She was good with the thing now, but she had already practiced each day with it. She had a hard time getting used to it.

"Boom bam, baby!" came Daxter's annoying voice from far away. "One part of Haven Forest mapped out!" Merlander looked up on the cliff behind him and saw Roxie and Daxter there with smiles on their faces. They were so goofy together. They were trouble.

Just seeing Roxie there made Merlander tense up. She saw him, and their eyes met each other. Merlander's heart skipped a beat. After a month of the crush it was still there. He had tried so many times to put her out of her head, but it was not working.

Tuya looked over to Merlander, and a small smile crept to her face. She knew he loved Roxie. She could see it in his eyes whenever he saw her. Roxie was lucky. She had someone with so much passion watching over her with patience for the right time.

Tuya knew they would get together sometime. She just wished someone liked her that way. She wanted someone like Merlander waiting for her, but that would never happen for her. The only time a guy liked her was because of her looks. At first she liked it, but it was never filling. Now she just wished she could go back again. After going anorexic she could never eat much. She hated being always hungry, but her stomach could not take much. She was stuck with that curse. She was slowly recovering, though.

"So what are you doing with the girl?" Daxter asked Merlander as Roxie jumped down to them. He jumped off Roxie's shoulder and bounced up to Tuya's with a wide smile. "How 'bout you hang out with us, good looking?" he asked her while making his eyebrows go up and down.

Tuya giggled at his actions. She loved Daxter. He was so cute and funny. She made out most of what he said to her. Most of it was flirting that she thought was funny. He was always trying to get her to talk to him or make her smile. At first it was because he thought she was pretty, but now they were just friends. She had turned him down too many times.

"Yeah," Roxie said while narrowing her eyes at Tuya. "What is she doing here?" Venom dripped in her voice, and Merlander stumbled for words to calm her down.

"Do I detect a little bit of jealousy in your voice?" Daxter said while cupping a hand behind his fuzzy ears. "I bit of envy, perhaps?"

"Why would I be jealous?" Roxie said while glaring at Daxter to make him shut up. Daxter sighed while rolling his eyes at her. He knew the two had a thing for each other. He did not know why she liked to hide it. He always came right out with it when he liked a girl. Maybe that was why he had no girls yet.

"I'm teaching her," Merlander answered while ignoring Daxter. He then turned to Tuya and Daxter and said, "Can you leave us alone for two seconds?"

"Go for it!" Daxter whispered to Merlander. "You two love birds are for each other."

"Shut it!" Merlander snapped back at him in a loud whisper. Daxter had forced Merlander to tell him he liked Roxie. Now Daxter was trying hard to get the two together for some reason unknown. Merlander just ignored Daxter's useless attempts and just waited for the right time.

Tuya gave Merlander a sly smile and walked away with Daxter perched on her shoulder. She started to mess with her boomerang while giving a bored sigh. Daxter also gave a sigh of boredom, and they both looked to each other with smiles.

"How good are you with that do-hickey?" Daxter asked her while pointing to her boomerang.

"Okay," Tuya answered after a long pause to understand what he had just said. "I'll show you." She then threw it at a branch, and it sliced it in half then came back to her. She caught it with a smile on her face.

"Awesome!" Daxter said. He then saw something in the tree with the sliced branch and tilted his head to the side confusion. "What's that?" he asked while pointing to it.

Tuya walked to the tree and they both looked up into it. A tiny head popped up from above and looked at them with big, green eyes. It was so tiny and cute. It had big, long ears, and a long tail that was like a cat. It looked like a cat and lemur put together. But it was only a baby one with yellow fur with one black stripe going down its back. Its tiny pink nose sniffed the air, and it made a strange meow sound.

"Cute!" Tuya said with a big smile coming to her face. "What is it?" she asked Daxter.

"A baby muse," Daxter said while still looking up to it in the tree. "They love running away. My friend and I had to catch one once. It was not an easy job. Those things are tricky to catch."

Tuya nodded while translating what he said into her language. She then started to climb the tree. "Hey!" Daxter yelled to her. "Why are we trying to get it?" He clung onto her shoulder with worry that she might fall. She finally got up to the baby muse.

Daxter was surprised that the thing did not run away. Tuya sat on the same branch it was on and extended her hand out to it. She said a few soothing words in Human. The muse gave a little purr and jumped over to Tuya and into her arms. She then climbed carefully back down.

Tuya cradled the baby muse in her arms then put it in her backpack. "What are you doing?" Daxter yelled. Tuya wrapped her hand around his big mouth to make him be quiet so Merlander and Roxie could not hear him.

"Shh!" she told him. Daxter finally nodded to show her he would keep the secret to himself. She then gave him a smile. Merlander was finally done talking to Roxie and turned around to face the two. Roxie and Daxter went back to mapping out the forest for Mod while Merlander and Tuya headed back to the Underground.

* * *

Torn glanced up at the girl with worry in his hard, blue eyes. She was looking down at her pad and was drawing like crazy on it with her eyes only showing interest in her next picture. Her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth absentmindedly. She looked so cute that way. Almost little sisterish in Torn's eyes.

Torn wanted to say something to her. At first he did not want anything to do with her. Then after a while he watched her more and more. She was this thin weakling that would never make it in Haven City if he let her go on her own. She needed to be protected. Torn had been struggling to make up his mind. He wanted to help her, but he thought she would think he was stupid. She did trust him more than anyone. Maybe it was because he was the first to find her and take care of her.

"Tuya," he finally said while keeping his eyes on the girl sitting cross-legged on the bunk bed. Merlander had given her a great name. Amber was kind of strange, but Tuya was so her. Tuya looked up to Torn with confusion in her eyes. He did not talk to her much.

"How is the training with Merlander going?" he asked while leaning back and crossing his arms.

Tuya paused while trying to think of an elfish answer. He could see the wheels turn in her head. She finally looked back up at him and said, "Good."

"Are you learning anything?" he asked.

Tuya gave him a guilty smile and said, "Little."

"I'm thinking about maybe me training you," Torn said slowly. Here it was. For some reason he really wanted to train her on his own. He wanted to help her. He could if she said yes to his next question. "How do you feel about that?"

Tuya gave him an unexpected smile that just lit up the dim room. She thought Torn was cool. He was the only one who took her in and was nice to her. Merlander was nice, but he was just there to teach her. Daxter was a good friend, but she rarely saw him. She only saw Ashlen once after she ended up there. She had met Kor, Vin, and the cute little kid, but she was not really friends with them. Onin and Pecker were just strange. Torn was the only one she felt like he liked her.

"Wicked sweet," she said with a nod. She had learned that from Roxie saying it so many times. Torn lifted an eyebrow at what she said with surprise. She was an odd one.

"We start tomorrow then," Torn said with a small smile. Tuya nodded with happiness. She had no idea what he had just said. He just chuckled at her actions. He would have to teach her a few more words in Elfish.

Suddenly Tuya's backpack started to move. She gave a gasp, and Torn looked up from his maps. Tuya looked over to Torn while grabbing the backpack so it would stay still, but it was not working. Something was in there, and Tuya did not want him to know what it was.

"What is in there?" he demanded to know.

"Nothing!" Tuya said quickly while shaking her head. Something popped out of the flap of her pack and jumped to the ground in front of Tuya. Torn's eyes went wide with shock. It was a baby muse! He thought those had died out long ago.

Tuya said something in Human and dived for the cute fuzz ball on the ground. It gave a little frightful sound and jumped to Torn's table filled maps on it with graceful ease. Tuya tried to catch it again, but the little thing was too fast. It dashed around the table and knocked everything over.

"No!" Torn groaned in frustration as he tried to catch the thing too. After the muse made a mess of the table it jumped around the room with quick leaps to walls and anywhere he wished to go. It landed on Torn's shoulder, and it made him jump with a gasp of surprise. Tuya tried to grab the muse, but it quickly started to crawl around Torn's body with little squeak sounds.

"I got him!" Tuya yelled while grabbing Torn's shoulder where the muse used to be. Torn finally grabbed the muse by the tail and held him in the air up to Tuya with a frown planted on his face. The muse finally calmed down and sniffed the air with another little chirp of mischief.

Tuya lowered her eyes to the ground and shoved her hands behind her back as Torn glared down at her with stern eyes. "Sorry," she said softly while daring to glance up at Torn with her deep brown eyes.

"What am I going to do with you?" Torn said with a sigh. He dropped the baby muse into her hands while rolling his eyes. For some reason he could not stay mad at her. "Just keep the thing away from my table, okay?" Tuya gave a nod and petted the little thing in her arms tenderly, and it snuggled up to her chest.

"Eat?" she asked Torn while twisting the muse's tail between her frail fingers.

Torn looked up from where he was trying to fix his desk with eyebrows raised in question. She shifted in his gaze and gave him her sweet smile that made him just want to hug her. "Milk, I guess," he finally said with a shrug. What did a baby muse eat? He would have to ask someone that. "Kor might know for sure."

"Keep him?" she asked while pointing to the muse in her arms.

Torn was about to say no, but then he saw her face. She was giving him a wide smile, and she held up the little creature to his face with her eyes pleading. He did not answer, and she went into the puppy dog pout that she knew would break him down in two seconds.

"Don't do that to me," he muttered to her while looking back to the muse with disgust.

"PLEASE!" she pleaded with him and shoved the muse into his face. "Cute!"

Torn frowned. He knew he was going against everything with the answer he was about to give. He glanced back at her, and her eyes glowed red again like they always did randomly. She really wanted the thing. He gave a long sigh then said, "Yes. You can keep it."

"It has name!" she snapped back at him in pretend anger. He raised an eyebrow to tell her to keep going. "His name is…Mozart!" She had always been a classical music fan. Torn did not know what the name meant, but smiled anyway. The girl did have a way with animals.

A/N: Next chapter will be a Jak chapter! What you guys have been waiting for. Please give a review!


	28. Chapter 28 A Cure

A/N: Here is your Jak chapter! I really hope you guys like it. I might have only a few more Jak chapters then I'll have my sequel where I can use him all I want. And I just had two near death experiences on Easter. How great it that? I usually wear dress pants to church, but this was Easter, so I had to wear a skirt. I go to some big church. I don't know what I am. I'm not Catholic, but most of my friends are. I'm just…Christian I guess. Anywho, I was complaining about me wearing a dress to myself like I always do when I trip and fall down all the stairs. I did it a second time at church! I have a few bruises, but I'm okay! My guardian angel must have been like; "This girl is one crazed up fruit loop. How do you trip down the stairs two times in a row on Easter?"

So, here is your chapter. I don't own anything from Jak2. Please R&R. Thanks!

Chapter 28

Jak stood by Nea with a sad and worried expression on his face. A sickness was sweeping through the fort, and three elves had died already. The three Elves planning a perfect escape were delayed by this sickness when Tubal had suddenly gotten it. He now lay on a mat in a tent that was the sickbay.

Jak and Nea were worried sick about poor Tubal, but could do nothing to get him better. To live, Tubal had to be strong and let it pass after a high point, or he would die during the high point. The high point in the sickness was when the person with the sickness started to go out of his/her mind and goes into a coma like state. Something would happen to the mind and you could either live through it or die. Out of the few people sick only one survived. They did not know if Tubal would live.

"Listen," Nea whispered to Jak while nudging him with her elbow. Jak looked up and gave Nea a forced smile to say that he was listening to the General giving them all instructions of what they were to do for the day. Nea gave a nod and looked ahead to the General with the worry not going away from her face.

"You will be testing your strength today," the General said while cracking his whip sharply to get their attention. "See these," he said while pointing to some platforms with metal bars with rope tied at the ends on them. "We will put weight on the ends of the bars, and we will see how strong you are. Now get moving!"

Jak was not thinking about what was going on. Nea let him go first, and he got on one of the tiny platforms. Four other people got on the others and held up their poles other their heads. Jak did the same absentmindedly.

"First round," the General said while cracking his whip to get started. Krimson Guards came up and tied a heavy sack on the ends of the pole. It was too easy for Jak, and he just looked down while thinking about something else.

_We have to get out of here_, he told himself while biting his lower lip as another round came up and more weight was added to his pole. _We came to far to end it here with Tubal's death. He can't die! I have to save him. I know there is a cure to all this._

"Fourth round," the General yelled loudly with another crack of the whip. "One is already down. Four left." Jak was forced out of his thinking at the cheering and looked up. He looked to his sides and realized that he was doing really well with the challenge for the day.

"You're going down, kid," someone said from Jak's other side. With a silent gasp, Jak looked to where the voice came from and glared at Durgen. He was going against this guy. "You can't beat me at my best game," Durgen whispered harshly to Jak. "This takes strength and mind. You have none of those. You might be quick, but you'll never be good at this."

"Sixth round," the General yelled again, and Jak realized that he was carrying more than before. But the sixth sack was starting to make everything heavy. The sun was beating down on his back, and he was already worn out from the morning workout. Sweat started to flow down his forehead, and he gave a sigh to steady himself. He could make it.

In challenges you had to get at least third place to not get whipped by the General. Jak only once did not make it and got whipped. He told himself to never fail again. But if you got first you got to take a break and go back to the tent.

_That's it!_ Jak's mind yelled at him, and his eyes lit up with the idea coming into his head. _If I win I go back to the tent. But what if I could get into the fourth section of the fort where Devo is? I know he would have a cure for Tubal in his house. I just have to win!_

"Just give up now, kid," Durgen said to Jak with a wicked smile coming to his face. Another sack was added, and Jak shifted under the weight with determination in his blue eyes. He did not look over to Durgen and focused on his own weight. Everyone with weight on his back was not giving up. No one wanted to get whipped. Jak would not settle for anything less than first place in this challenge.

"The sun is getting a bit hotter, isn't it?" Durgen whispered to Jak to try to throw the kid off. Now Jak had ten sacks on his pole, and the weight was almost too heavy for him.

"Stop now," the General said with a smile. "Now we just wait. Let them do whatever they want. This challenge is strength but also mind. You can make deals and mess with each other's minds. This is when the challenge begins."

"Just give up, kid!" Durgen yelled at Jak for everyone to hear now. A few people in the crowd gave snickers. With a defeated cry, another elf dropped the pole and collapsed on the ground. Three more to go. Jak fought the erg to give up now and be done with everything, but the thought of escape pounded into his mind, and he forced it away. He was stronger than this.

"I'll make you a deal, kid," Durgen said to Jak.

_Shut up!_ Jak yelled in his head. He wanted Durgen to stop, but he could say nothing.

"If you give up now," Durgen said. "I'll stop bugging you." Jak rolled his eyes at the so-called "deal". He had to block Durgen out. He was feeling the weight more and more every second, and it was starting to be too much for him.

Jak finally closed his eyes and gave a sigh to clear his head. He focused his whole mind on his balance and the weight. He blocked out the world around him and Durgen. Everywhere around him was his own darkness and nothing else. The Green Sage had taught him to do this when he had any kind of eco in him. The Sage wanted to see how much someone could focus while flowing with eco. Jak had been the test subject.

Jak did not know how long he had been doing his, but he knew he would have to come to reality sometime. He finally opened his eyes and heard the General yell, "And the kid wins!" First there was total shock on Jak's face then he smiled and threw down the pole and jumped down the platform.

"You can go back to your tent now," the General said while nodding to Jak. The General at first hated Jak, but the kid continued to amaze him, and he was getting used to it now. The kid was all right. The General was starting to think that the kid was going to be the best Dark Warrior.

No one watched Jak go. Jak looked behind his shoulder at the group and gave a wink to Nea. She smiled back but had no idea what he was doing. Jak went to the door to the second section of the fort then turned to another door to the fourth section and ran up to it. The Krimson Guard at the door was snoozing next to it with loud snores.

Jak gave a silent chuckle while coming to the door. He creaked it open and slipped into the plantation of Mr. Devo's. The green grass felt cool under Jak's feet as he ran to the porch of the big house. Jak's heart was starting to beat faster as he ran up the few steps and to the door. He reached for the doorknob to see if it was open, but he saw it start to turn.

Jak flattened himself up against the wall where the door would block him from view. The door swung open and smashed into Jak's nose. He swore, but no one could hear him. The door stayed open, and Jak listened to Mr. Devo say to himself, "Lovely day!"

Jak dared to look from behind the door and saw that Devo was looking away. Jak smiled and ran into the house and closed the door behind him. This was perfect! Devo was out of the house and Jak was in it. The teen gave himself a wicked smile while heading for the stairs. He flew to the second floor and told himself not to get lost.

Jak ran down the hall while opening doors and looking for some kind of medicine room. He was not finding anything at this rate and he knew it. Jak turned around to go back the way he came and realized he was lost. He felt stupid for even coming into the house now. He was going to get himself killed for this.

"Hey there!" came a sweet voice from behind Jak.

Jak gave a silent gasp and turned around to find a cute little kid. She had her hands behind her back and was looking up at him with her big blue eyes. She smiled at him and twirled a lock of her long blond hair between her fingers. Her nice dress told him that she had to be related to Devo.

"What's your name?" she asked him.

Jak opened his mouth to say something, but remembered that he was mute and frowned. He cursed himself for being mute and not being able to say anything to the kid. She was sweet and innocent enough to show him a room for the cure.

"I will call you Bob," the girl said with a giggle when she got no answer from Jak.

_Bob?_ Jak thought with a frown. _What kind of name is that?_

Jak did not know what to do. The little girl kept watching his every move. He started to walk away to try and find the stairs on his own. The little girl gave another giggle and skipped behind him. Jak turned around and gave the girl a glare to get lost, but she never took the hint.

"Bob?" she asked him. "What cha looking for?"

Jak rolled his eyes while looking down another hall. He finally realized where he was. It was the same hall he went down to see Devo in his office the day Amelia came to take him. He knew where the stairs were now, but he wanted to check the hall out first. He walked down the hall and opened a few doors and looked in them.

Jak finally found the office and smiled to himself. He quietly walked into the room with a sneaky look in his eyes that were scanning the room for anything. Then the little girl came bouncing in with her jump rope and, Jak gave a wince at how loud she was.

"Why don't you talk, Bob?" she asked him while still jumping in the middle of the room. "I mean, I like talking! Some people say I do it too much, but I think they are just crazy. I'm the only sane one in my family. How 'bout you, Bob? Are you sane or insane? Will you tell me? Huh?"

_Just…just shut up!_ Jak pleaded in his head to the girl. _Wow, this girl can talk! Why is she following me?_

To ignore the girl, Jak started to look through the papers on Devo's desk. The girl kept jump roping next to him with a smile on her face. Then Jak found something that caught his eye. It was his picture attached to a file. It was his file.

Jak opened up the file with a slight hesitation of fear of the unknown. He saw his name, age, height, weight, and a short description of how he looked, but nothing else. They did not know he was from Sandover Village. They knew nothing of him. That thought scared Jak a little.

"You don't look like the kid in the picture, Bob," the girl said while glancing a little at his picture in the front of the file.

Jak raised one of his green eyebrows while glancing over to the little girl. Did he really look that different? Well his hair was a bit longer because he had not had it cut in months. He had to look stronger because of all the training. But did he really look different?

He got his answer when he headed for the door to the office and saw a mirror. He stopped and looked at himself with a bit of surprise. He did look different! His green/blonde hair was a longer and not spiky anymore. It came a little bit into his perfect blue eyes that had not changed at all. He was taller and looked a lot stronger. His skin was very tanned and Jak realized that he would be considered "hot" for a girl. He was not a tiny kid anymore.

Jak swiped his fingers through his hair while shaking his head at himself in the mirror. He looked over to the girl that had now stopped jump roping and stood next to him. She gave "Bob" another smile and waited for him to say something. When he said nothing she had to.

"I'm Emma!" she said loudly. "But you can call me Kay."

_Wow! That was totally random!_ Jak thought while smiling down at the girl. He wished he could say something to her. He now missed Daxter. His best friend had always been his inner voice speaking up for him. Jak liked it better when Daxter turned into an Ottsel by Dark Eco. It meant that Daxter had to be around Jak a lot. After that, the two would never were apart till that day with the rift gate. Jak never went through a day without thinking about his very best friend.

"Stop bugging me about it!" came a voice from outside the room. Jak recognized it to be Mr. Devo's. Panic flashed through the teen's body, and he quickly searched the room for anywhere to hide. The voice was getting louder, so that meant he was heading for his office. Jak backed away from the little girl and ducked just in time behind the desk right when Mr. Devo walked in.

Devo was holding onto a radio with one hand and barking into it. In his other hand was a plastic container that looked like a small pancake that was too thick. The lid was clear, and about twenty tiny pills were in it that were red with small yellow writing on them.

"You scared Bob away," Emma/Kay said while looking up at Devo with those innocent eyes that could make any go "AW!" Anyone but Devo. He walked right past the girl and set the container on his desk, and Jak feared that the man would see him.

"No!" Devo shouted into the radio. "The medicine is only for Krimson Guards, Generals, and anyone who lives in the fourth section. The other people are worthless slaves. They don't need cures. Plus, one of the slaves lived. It can just be a test of their strength. Dark eco injections are much worse than this sickness."

"Uncle Devo!" Emma said sweetly as she pulled on the end of his sleeve to catch at least a second of his attention. "Do I have to take medicine? I don't like medicine. It does not taste good."

"Not now, child!" Devo whispered harshly to Emma while waving her away with his hand. Jak looked up from behind the desk and saw the poor girl's face as she let go of the sleeve and stared up at the man. Her big, cute eyes looked up at Devo with confusion and pain in them. Jak winced as he saw Devo completely ignore her. This man had no kindness in his heart for her. And she was his niece!

"Okay," Devo said, and it sounded like he was finishing his conversation with whoever on the other end. "Just give me another shipment of the medicine. Thanks. Bye." He hung up and glared down at Emma. "I was on the radio with someone! Don't interrupt me like that again!"

"Sorry," she said while looking to the floor.

Jak had already been thinking about something while this was going on. He bolted from his spot behind the desk and grabbed the container on his way out of the room. Devo looked up and saw Jak's face for two seconds. He gasped while getting out his radio again and barking into it.

"One of the project's test subjects have gotten lose," he yelled into it. "Get him, but don't hurt him. And that is an order!" He patted Emma on the head and ran out of the room while yelling for someone to stop Jak. Some Krimson Guards came up the steps and started to run after Jak.

The teen knew he was insane now. He had the cure, but he was going to die after this. He was sprinting down the narrow hall in the huge house. He was blindly running down every hallway to get away with the container clutched in his dirty hands.

Jak told himself that with this much guts he could make it out and get the cure to Nea. She could take it from there. But that would mean the two would escape, and he would be here stuck in the middle of the jungle still training for something unknown. If he gave up now, Tubal would die and Jak could take a punishment, and then he and Nea could escape. The plan to escape could take two people. It was either Tubal or Jak. Jak had to make up his mind now.

_What the hell am I doing!_ Jak told himself while shaking his head. _Tubal has been here for a longer time than I have. He needs to be free! I don't. I would not know where to go once I was free. I could find Daxter and try to find a way back to Sandover Village, but that is pretty much impossible at the moment. I can wait._

Three Krimson Guards came charging out from around a corner, and Jak dodged them with a quick jump to the side. They started to run after him, and Jak could hear them yelling loudly at each other to catch him. One Krimson Guard made the mistake of shooting at Jak. The first shot missed Jak, but the second one Jak was not so lucky.

Jak gave a silent cry as his side burned with intense pain right below his rib cage. A wave of hot acid like pain flashed through his left side, and he clutched it with his right arm. He pulled his hand away and saw that it was covered with his own hot, red blood. Seeing his own blood made Jak's stomach twist, but he kept running away from the Krimson Guards.

"Don't shoot him!" Devo yelled as Jak rounded the corner just a bit slower than what he had been going. "Just get him and bring him to my office." He was fuming now. The kid was getting away. But Devo did not know that the teen had his medicine. He would find out later when it was too late.

Jak yanked a door open, and the room was one he liked. He ran in and a closed the door with a simple kick with his foot. He shoved the container into his mouth while still holding onto his side to keep it from bleeding too much. He was running on pure adrenaline now. Jak locked the door and then grabbed a wooden chair and shoved the back of it under the handle. That would keep the Krimson Guard's out for a few seconds.

Jak was just turning toward the window when he heard a big bang on the door to the small room he was in. The room was a guestroom with a big canopy bed to one side and a desk with a mirror on the other. Jak did not stop to take in his surroundings. He was only here because it had a window that led to the roof outside.

"Jak!" Devo yelled through the door. Jak yanked the big, red curtain down from the window and almost got knocked by the poll holding it as it came crashing down. He ripped a long piece off while glancing to the door of the room. He still had the container in his mouth as he tied the curtain around his waist tightly to stop the bleeding of his wound. He gave another wince while tying the knot and pulling hard on it.

"We don't want to hurt you, Jak," Devo was saying loudly for him to hear. "Now come out now! We need to talk. I don't like it when someone comes in my house without permission." It was like Devo was talking to a scared cat in a tree. Jak rolled his eyes while taking the container out of his dry mouth with a bloody hand. "Don't force me to break the door down, Jak!" Devo yelled after Jak never answered.

Jak grabbed the poll that held the curtain and smashed the window with it. He then leapt out of the window as he heard Devo yell to break the door down because Jak was going out of the window. Jak landed on another part of the roof and slid down it till he got to the gutter. He jumped at the end of the roof and landed on the ground with a few rolls, so he would not hurt his stomach with a normal landing.

The teen left a little red spot on the perfect, green grass as he got up quickly and ran for the wall. He came up to the door and knew he had to be locked down. He ran there anyway. He jumped up on the wooden latch then grabbed the top of the wall. The broken glass cutting into his skin was a minor pain compared to the one on his side. The top of the wall had been covered with broken glass, so people would not want to go over it.

Jak shoved the container into his mouth, so he could put another hand up on the wall to pull himself up. He pushed up with his bare feet and pushed off the wall with his hands. He twisted his body so that he would flip over the wall. His head was only inches away from the glass. The teen hero/thief landed on his back on the hard, dirt floor of the third section of the Fort. He was just thankful that he had not broken any bones as he got up.

Jak's vision was a bit fuzzy as he got up from the dusty ground. His side was a red mess, and he was sweating like mad. His hands had a ton of cuts from the glass on the wall. He was covered with dirt from the fall, and he ached all over. He wanted to give up now, but something inside told him to keep going.

With another wince of pain, Jak made his way across the plantation to a place where the test subjects to the Baron's cruel project were working out. They were on the running course, and Nea was one of them running around the track with graceful and counted steps. She saw Jak at the corner of her eye, and she stopped.

"Kid!" she yelled with total shock in her voice and eyes. Jak made it over to her, and that was when she saw his side. She gasped and grabbed him as he fell to his knees. At this same time, the door to the fourth section burst open, and a flood of Krimson Guards came poring out. They headed toward Jak and Nea.

"What is going on?" she asked him even though she knew he could not answer her with words.

Jak was close to passing out. He had lost a lot of blood, and the fall had hurt him more than what he knew. He sucked it up and forced the pain away for a few seconds. He got to his feet and grabbed Nea's hands. He placed the container in her hands and mouthed out the words, "Save him!" They both shared eye contact, and she saw the pain and suffering in his perfect, blue eyes. He saw the concern and worry in her dark and deep brown ones.

The Krimson Guards grabbed Jak, and he gave a surprised silent yell. They dragged him back to the fourth section while Nea watched them with the container still in her hands. Now she was worried beyond anything. In her mind she told herself that she would wait for him to come back. The first day she was there the General had told them that they did not kill people but only punished them when they did something wrong. She would see Jak again. She just had to have a bit of hope.

* * *

Jak stood in front of Mr. Devo's desk with his head spinning. His wound had stopped bleeding finally, but the pain was still the same as before. His hands were tied behind in front of him, and a Krimson Guard stood at both his sides with guns in their hands. He had no where to escape. He had to face his punishment.

Mr. Devo was sitting in his big, soft chair behind his desk with his feet propped up on the desk. In his hands was Jak's folder, and he stared at it while thinking about the test subject standing in front of him. Jak was mute. So how was he going to get anything out of him? He already knew what the punishment was going to be for the teen. He just wanted to know where his medicine was. He had found out it was missing only a few minutes ago, and he was too angry to say anything.

Finally Devo pulled his feet off the desk and looked up from Jak's file to the real Jak standing there with his head down. Devo closed the file while looking up with a frown on his face. "Where is it?" he finally asked to break the ominous silence that had filled the room.

Jak did nothing. He kept his eyes to the red carpet floor. He would never tell the elf where it was. That would mean Nea and Tubal would die, and Jak could not have that happen. There was more silence as Devo stared at Jak for any glimpse of an answer.

"Don't make me repeat myself," Devo said with anger in his voice. "Where is my damn medicine!" (A/N: Okay, I don't like swearing, and I would have never put this into my fic, but it is only for character building and it fits the situation and I want to make it realistic. But trust me, I really don't like saying that word.) He slammed his tight fist on the table as he said this.

Jak finally looked up, and his eyes cut right into Devo with so much hatred it kind of scared the man. That was Jak's only answer. In his eyes it said everything. Devo finally found his strength again and told himself he would not take no for answer from the kid.

"I want to know where you put it, kid," Devo said while coming up from behind the desk. He walked over to Jak and bent down so the two were face to face. Jak's face changed a little. He was unsure of himself now. The teen bit his lower lip as he stared into the enemy's eyes with boldness.

"That medicine is a lot of money," Devo said in a harsh whisper. "I need it! Now tell me where it is!" Jak shook his head to say no. "ARGE!" Devo yelled while getting up in a huff. He turned around and looked at his desk to think of some way to get the information out of Jak. He turned back around to face Jak, and he knew he could maybe force it out of Jak with pain.

A/N: Readers. For people who are a bit squeamish this part might not be for you. It is not that bad, but I just know some people who might not like this part. I'm just saying this to warn people. But I don't think it is that bad. Please go on reading.

Devo slipped a hand into his pocket and took out a pocketknife. He flipped it open and saw Jak tense up. Jak's eyes were on the cold metal in front of him. He prepared his body for the worst. Devo gave a smile as he saw Jak squirm a little as he lightly put the tip of the blade to Jak's throat.

Devo then grabbed the red curtain tied to Jak's waist and cut it off. The lazer had cut into Jak's left side right below his rib cage. The kid had been lucky, but it still looked like it hurt real badly. The blood had dried up already, but the wound was still fresh. Devo poked it a little with the tip of the knife and saw Jak look away with a little wince.

"Studies show that through pain some mute Humans were able to talk," Devo said with a wicked smile. "I wonder what would happen to an Elf. You can tell me now, or do you think you can take a little pain?" Jak gave a sigh and knew he had to take the pain. Devo nodded and slowly dragged the blade across Jak's wound to make the blood flow again. Jak closed his eyes as the new pain flowed through his body.

"Just tell me where the medicine is, Jak," Devo said while watching Jak closely. "It is that simple." Jak said or did nothing. Devo frowned and pushed his knife deeper into Jak's side. Jak opened his mouth as if to yell, but nothing came out because he was mute. Devo dug in deeper with that same wicked smile on his face, and Jak suddenly yelled loudly in pain. It was the first sound Devo had ever heard out of him.

"How did that feel?" Devo said with a laugh at finally hearing something out of Jak.

Jak wished he could still say something, but he knew he could cry out sometimes under extreme pain. It had happened a few months back when the Baron had injected Dark Eco in him. But he could still not talk. If he could talk a whole lot of colorful words would have been said.

"Why don't you answer!" Devo yelled loudly at Jak. He grabbed Jak's chin and forced the teen to look at him. "You stupid waste of crap!" he yelled at Jak while shoving the knife deep into Jak's side. He saw Jak yell a silent stop as he squirmed in pain. "Tell me where the medicine is!" he demanded loudly. Jak slammed his heel down on Devo's foot to stop him.

Devo gave a short yell as his toes stung with pain. He pulled the knife away, and Jak felt like he was not going to stay awake much longer. Jak's vision started to get fuzzy again with the sides black. The Krimson Guards holding onto him had to keep him on his feet. Jak looked up at Devo and shook his head no before passing out in the Krimson Guards' arms.

"Take him to his cell," Devo said. "And get someone to heal his side. If the Baron had not said to me personally to keep him alive, he would be dead by now. He'll make a perfect Dark Worrier after we change his attitude. The kid needs to learn to obey. I'll force everything out of him."

The guards nodded and drug Jak's body away. Jak was just thankful that he was out now. He almost wished he would never wake up. He dreaded it.

A/N: I'll leave you there. I love cliffhangers! HAHA! I'll make you guys beg for another Jak chapter. Sorry it took a long time for the chapter to come out. I've been busy with school and I went to work with my dad this weekend because I need money. But while working I banged my head really hard on his blue machine that my dad is making. He wanted me to get in it to help him, don't ask why. Boy, was I a mess when I got back home. But please give a review! Thanks!


	29. Chapter 29 Torn's Soft Spot

A/N: Oh geez! My last Jak chapter really made me want to write another one really quick, but I know I can't do that. HA! You people have no idea what I'm going to do with Jak! I love doing this to my readers!

Daxter: "Sorry people that she is so hyper. She is running on only three hours of sleep, so she drunk around four cups of Coke. Boy, that stuff sure makes Pix hyper!"

Me: "Yeah, I got Monday off and I slept in till noon. How dumb was that?"

Daxter: "Pretty stupid, Pix. But I'm sure your readers still love you."

Me: "Not if I keep giving them these evil cliffhangers. Mwhaha!"

Daxter: takes a step away from me. "Um…yeah. I'm just here for the disclaimer. Pix owns nothing."

Me: "Stop calling me Pix! It is so annoying!"

Daxter: "You need a nick name. Just call her Pix for now on, readers!"

Me: "I need more Coke."

Daxter: "Reviews answered at the end of chapter. Please read on!"

Chapter 29

"Have any twos?" Merlander asked his red head cousin who sat across from him on the top of a bunk bed in the Underground hideout. It was around two in the morning. Merlander rarely ever went to sleep, so he was staying up with no missions. Ashelin had Krimson Guard duty early in the morning on weekends, so she was staying up with Merlander. Playing an old Human card game was the only way to pass the time.

"Go fish," Ashlen muttered while looking at her cards with a blank stare. She gave a yawn and looked over her cards at Merlander. He did not seem very tiered. He just seemed bored. "Have any fours?" she finally asked while studying him for a few seconds.

"Don't tell me you two are still playing that stupid game again," Torn said while coming into the room with a box in his hands. Tuya's little muse followed close behind him with little meow sounds. Torn completely ignored the animal. Ever since the thing destroyed his desk he hated it. Tuya slept soundly on the bottom bunk next to the one Merlander and Ashelin were on. It did not take long for Tuya's secret about her muse to get out. Now lots of people knew about it.

"It is the only way to pass the time," Ashelin said as Merlander gave her one of his fours.

Torn set the box on his desk, and Mozart jumped up to the desk to hop inside it. Torn caught him by the back of his neck just in time and frowned at the creature. "What is this thing's problem?" he asked to no one really.

"I think it likes you, Torn," Merlander said without looking away from his cards. Torn gave a sigh of frustration and set the muse down on the ground. It sniffed the air as if bored. It gave another meow then climbed up the bunk bed the card players were on. It spotted the cards and started to attack them like they were a sworn enemy.

"Hey!" Ashelin yelled at the animal while backing away. "Get your fuzzy butt off the cards!" she yelled at it. Mozart looked over to her and spotted the cards in her hands. It pounced at her cards, and they flew into the air.

Merlander caught one and looked at it. "I thought you said you did not have any twos," he said with a hint of anger in his voice. "You lied."

"That is the only way to beat the game, Mer," she said while shoving Mozart off her. "Plus, I'm half awake. I don't know what cards I have." Mozart finally backed off. He took a card that was scattered on the bed and jumped off the bed with it in his mouth.

"Come back here with that card," Merlander said while trying to grab the creature before it jumped off the bed. He missed and fell off the bed with a short yell of surprise. Ashelin gave a wince as she heard him land on the hard floor of the hideout.

Mozart seemed to have a smile on his cat-like face as he watched Merlander get off the floor. He chewed on the card in his tiny mouth and started to purr. Merlander looked up at him and muttered, "You got lucky this time." Torn rolled his eyes and went back to his maps of the city.

"Mer?" Ashelin asked her cousin as he sat back on the bed. She had been dreading to say this to him all day. Right now she thought it was the right time, because he was in a goofy mood.

"Yeah?" he asked without even noticing that she was worried.

"I've heard a few things around in the palace," Ashelin began. "Things about you." She waited till he looked over to her. He never did. He looked straight ahead with his face a mystery. "They plan on capturing Black Water real soon. They plan on doing something with you. Merlander, I've watched you lately. You're a mystery to the world. What do they want from you?"

Merlander said nothing for a long time. "Where did you hear this from?" he finally asked while looking over to her. He was avoiding the real question.

"Erol. That guy sure loves to brag," she said with a nod. "And it is hard not to hear things around the palace when you're the Baron's daughter."

Merlander started to fiddle with the end of his sleeve while looking down. Why could the Baron not stop messing with him? Now the Baron wanted him even more. What if he did force everything out of him? What would happen to Black Water? Worry was starting to creep up on him more and more as he thought about it.

"I'll move Black Water to an Underground member's home for a week," Torn said suddenly without looking up from his maps.

"Huh?" Merlander asked while looking at the leader with surprise.

"I'll move your team," Torn said simply. "It is no big deal."

"You'll do that for me?" Merlander asked.

"You don't work for money," Torn said. "You work for the Underground just for the thrill. So instead of money I'll send your team to another members. Take it or leave it."

"Well…thanks," Merlander said with a touch of fake happiness in his voice. Ashelin gave him a reassuring smile, but Merlander did not feel all that great. The Baron was still after him for some reason. Merlander knew his uncle. He would not stop till he got what he wanted.

* * *

The Hip Hog Heaven Saloon was almost empty at around seven in the morning. All the drunks had gone home happy and would never remember their night when they woke up later that day. The Saloon never really closed up every night. You could come there at two in the morning and still see other Elves there. But it was most empty in the morning. That was when Torn took Tuya there.

The automatic door swooshed open for the Elf, Human, and muse that followed close behind with his long tail flying behind him like a kite. Torn gave Tess a small smile to say hello. She was whipping down the bar while talking quietly to Sig who sat on one of the barstools. The two looked up at the pair walking in with a bit of surprise.

It was Tuya's first time there, so she was looking around the place to get it all in her head. She knew Tess because the girl worked for the Underground. She was just going undercover to spy on Krew as a bartender. She had never seen Sig, though.

"What is that?" Sig asked Torn while pointing at Mozart that was running around Tuya's legs with his cute little meows.

"A muse," Torn said blankly without glancing down to it. He sat down next to Sig on a stool and motioned for Tuya to do the same. "Where's Krew?"

"He's off on some business," Sig said with a nod.

Torn raised an eyebrow and said, "I thought he stayed here all the time."

"Lately he has been leaving to someplace," Tess said in a whisper as if the big guy was there watching her. "Sig does not even know where he goes."

Torn frowned at the thought. Sig was like Krew's right hand man. If he knew nothing then this might be big. He shrugged the thought off and said, "Well, I brought Tuya here for a reason." Tuya looked up when she heard her name. "Tess, get her a double fudge Sunday. I'm stopping her eating disorder right now." Tess looked a bit surprised, but obeyed the leader and started to make the ice cream.

Sig gave a chuckle while glancing at Tuya. She was frowning at Torn. "I stop myself!" she yelled at him. "No help!" Torn looked over to her with his face serious. "I no pig! Not eat!"

"Oh, you're going to eat, young lady," Torn said. He had no idea what a pig was. Maybe it was some Human animal she was referring to. "I can not train you when you're this pathetic weak thing. You will eat it!"

"No!" she said while looking away and folding her arms in front of her. "Not eat!"

"Here is your order," Tess said while hiding a smile behind her hand. For once someone was denying Torn. It was quite funny. She placed the ice cream in front of Tuya and handed her a spoon. Tuya looked disgusted as she stared at it. The only thing going through her head was the calories, fat, and stuff like that. It did not look good in her eyes at all.

In a flash Mozart took in the smell and had to have it. He jumped from the floor to a barstool. He then dived for the ice cream with a meow of joy. Everyone saw it too late. Splat! The ice cream flew into the air as Mozart landed in it. It splattered all over Torn and Tuya.

"I hate animals," Torn muttered while putting an elbow on the bar and resting his chin on it in defeat. Tuya gave a small giggle then took her spoon and dipped it into the ice cream. She ate it after a bit of hesitation. She could eat a few bites for Torn's sake. Torn gave her a glare, and she gave him a smile with her mouth filled with the ice cream. Mozart licked his cold paws with a sandpaper tongue.

"It looks like you have your hands full," Sig said with a chuckle.

"At least she is eating," Torn said. He turned his head around and came face to face with the muse. He gave a short gasp of surprise. It then started to lick his nose that had a drip of ice cream on it. "Get off me!" he said while pushing it over to Tuya.

"Close the stupid door!" someone said from across the saloon. Everyone looked up at the new arrival.

"It is automatic!" came a familiar voice. "Just step away from it, genius!" It was Merlander and Bo.

"Don't be all sarcastic with me, Merlander!" Bo yelled at him with anger in her voice. "You almost got us killed! Stupid Krimson Guards! Who where they after?"

"Hello," Sig said with a smile. The two at the door finally realized that they were not the only ones in the saloon and blushed slightly. "Two Humans in just five minutes," Sig said. "This is some weird day."

Bo looked over to Tuya with a bit of surprise to see another one like herself. But something was different with the Human. She could not put her finger on it. Merlander and Bo walked over to the bar, and the others realized that the two were sweating and a bit freaked out. Merlander explained right away.

"We bumped into some Krimson Guards while walking around," he said. "The only place to hide was here. So, where is the big guy himself?"

"Not here," Sig said. "Want me to take a message?" He was only kidding. Merlander smiled at the thought of Sig being secretary. The two new comers sat on the other stools. Merlander sat next to Tuya and eyed her ice cream.

"Not ask," she snapped at him while shoving another spoon in her mouth.

"Bo, this is Tuya," Merlander said while pointing to her. "She knows only a little Elfish because she says she is from Earth itself. You know a lot of Human, don't you?" he asked her.

Bo looked over to Tuya and said in Human, "Guys are so stupid."

"I agree," Tuya said in Human. She then noticed that the girl had spoken her language and smiled at her.

"How is my accent?" Bo asked in Human.

"Okay," Tuya said with a shrug. "But you speak it through your nose." Bo gave her a strange look and Tuya laughed out loud. "I was kidding," she said with a smile. "I thought there was no such things as Humans on this planet," she said after another spoonful of ice cream.

"Because Earth blew up a ton of years ago," Bo answered in perfect Human. The others just stared at the two. "Some really smart Humans came here before the planet exploded. After a lot of years the Humans found out that the air makes us smarter, but also makes us live shorter lives than what we used to. I thought you would know that."

Confusion swept over Tuya's face as she thought about it. "I came through some portal on Earth," she finally said to Bo. "I did not know Earth was going to blow up. It was going just fine till those aliens came."

"Those are the ones who blow Earth up," Bo said. Tuya bit her lower lip while thinking about it. This world was so strange to her. She could not accept that her planet was going to blow up. How could this happen? The two started to talk again in Human about Tuya's old and new planet.

"I never knew Bo knew that much of Human," Merlander said to his fellow Elves. "But one question keeps going around in my head."

"What is that?" Sig asked with interest in his voice.

"How did Krew get out of the door?" Merlander asked in fake deep confusion. Tess and Sig burst out laughing loudly. Torn smiled and shook his head at the thought. Finally Sig got control over himself and asked what really was on Merlander's mind.

"Well, I have a problem with Black Water," Merlander started. "You see, I've been taking care of what is left of it by myself for around three to four months. Over those few months Akki and I have really drifted apart. He finally got into my face two nights ago."

"What did he say?" Tess asked her friend with concern. She knew Merlander well. He had been trying so very hard to keep Black Water going. He loved his team more than anything now. To have one of the members differ from him could make the Elf very worried. He seemed to have a lot of that lately.

"He wants to be leader," Merlander said after taking a deep breath. "He told me I was not trying hard enough for the team. He also told me that he had talked with Simon before we knew him as a traitor. Simon had told Akki that if anything happened to Black Water Akki had to be leader. What do I do? I don't want to break my team apart over this. But if he becomes leader I don't know how well he'll keep it going."

Bizz!

Everyone gasped at the sudden sparks flying all over the place and the random sound. All heads turned toward Mozart. He looked up from licking some ice cream with his big green eyes. It then suddenly made the bizz sound again, and little yellow sparkles flew up around its body. Tuya looked concerned as she took the animal in her hands and petted it.

"Is that thing okay?" Sig asked while pointing at the muse in Tuya's arms.

"I don't know," Torn said with a shrug. It made the sound again, and sparks flew up again. It did not look well. It looked almost sick as it laid down in his owner's arms with a sad expression on its face. Tuya looked up at Torn with worry all over her face. "We have to go see a doctor," he said while quickly getting up from the stool.

"I know someone who loves animals," Merlander said while getting up. "His name is Mod." He had almost said Moddy. Daxter's nickname for him was catchy. "He lives on the other side of the city, though. We can take a zoomer. I'm sure he would know how to cure him."

"Good," Torn said. "Tuya, we're going to see a doctor." She looked up at him with confusion.

"A doctor," Bo said simply in Human. Tuya gave a small smile and got up. She cradled the poor muse in her arms as it made the weird sound again with the sparks coming off its body. They rushed to the door, but Merlander stopped before going out.

"Bo, can you stay here with Sig and Tess?" he asked. He could not have her going around the city with the leader of the Underground and another teen that was just as wanted by the Baron. She gave a shrug. "Thanks!" he called while running out of the door and into the port area.

"I have a three seat zoomer here," Torn said while pointing to a zoomer. They walked over to it quickly. Tuya got on the third seat that was seated a little behind the two seats in the front. "You drive," Torn said to Merlander. "You're better than I am." Merlander smiled at the thought and jumped in while turning the keys.

"Hang on to your butts," he said while turning the hovercraft around in the right direction. "This might be a little fast." Torn took the warning and held onto his seat with one hand. Tuya wrapped her legs around the bottom of her seat because her hands were busy holding her sick pet. It looked worse than before. She just hoped it would not be too late.

Merlander slammed down on the gas with a sly smile on his face. The zoomer zipped forward, and Tuya almost fell off. She was still getting used the new hovering car. Merlander was going at tremendous speed through the city. He made a few sharp turns with Torn yelling at him to warn them.

"Why don't you kill us now?" Torn yelled over to Merlander. The teen gave the leader a sheepish smile. Torn looked back to Tuya to see if she was okay, and Merlander saw the concern in his eyes for her. When had that developed? Merlander never knew that Torn could have a soft spot for anyone.

_Hey, Mer! Miss me?_ Came Roxie's voice in Merlander's head. She had finally caught the guy off guard, so she could get into his mind now. She had to be somewhere close by. He knew it would be rude to block her out, so he just responded back.

_Having fun?_ He thought to her. _Are you training more with the orange fuzz ball? Or are you blowing more stuff up for the heck of it?_

_Was,_ Roxie thought back. _But stupid Krimson Guards cut in on all the fun. Where are you going really fast on the zoomer?_

_Can you see me?_ Merlander thought while looking around for her.

_No,_ she thought. _I can just hear a few of your second thoughts of speeding on the zoomer. Why the rush?_

_Tuya's pet muse, Mozart, is sick,_ he thought while turning a corner. He had to stop thinking of Roxie and focus for a few seconds to drive right. _I'm going to Moddy's to see if he can cure him._

_Sweet,_ he heard in his head. _Crap! My zoomer is about to explode! Look for a big boom._ Two seconds after he heard her in his head he saw a big explosion up ahead. They were in the Slums now, so the buildings were really low. He saw Roxie jump to the top of one building and an orange fuzz ball fly up next to her. The eco girl landed gracefully on the roof while Daxter landed on his back next to her feet.

"Merlander!" Torn yelled to the teen over the wind brushing past them because of the speed they were going. "We have two KG zoomers behind us. Think you can lose them?"

"No problem," Merlander said then thought over to Roxie, _Can you get the two zoomers behind us off our tail? We are the zoomer going really fast._

_Funny,_ Roxie thought back, and he flew right past her on his zoomer. She stuck her tongue at him, and he gave her a two-finger salute. It was their strange form of saying hello to each other. Daxter had been just getting up and brushing the dust off his fur when the zoomer flew past them.

"AH!" he yelled while loosing balance and falling off the building. Roxie spotted him falling and quickly stuck her hand out at his body. He glowed green right before hitting the ground, and he landed without any scratches. "Thanks!" he called back up to her. Her green eco was stronger now and she could make other people have it for a few seconds.

"Get back up her, fuzzy!" she demanded. "Things are going to get a little hot." She pulled out her dice and threw them at one of the zoomers following behind Merlander. It exploded into a big ball of fire, and Roxie laughed insanely. She just loved blowing things up.

"Please," Daxter said while crawling up a drainpipe. "Don't do that. It scares me." Roxie rolled her glowing green eyes and threw more dice at the Krimson Guards down below. She stuck her other hand's palm out, and some dice flew up into it. She blew up the other zoomer easily as the first, and hoped Merlander would come back to thank her. Just seeing his face made her stomach get the butterflies.

Merlander saw Mod's purple tent come up suddenly, and the teen slammed on the brakes to stop the speeding zoomer. It swerved to one side and did a few turns till it stopped right in front of the guy's tent. Merlander gave Torn a sly smile, and the guy just glared at the teen with his ice-cold, blue eyes. Tuya looked a bit dazed, but in good shape.

"This is it?" Torn asked Merlander with distrust in his voice. "Who is this guy?"

"Mod!" Merlander yelled loud enough for the guy inside the tent to hear him loud and clear. They all hopped off the zoomer and walked over to the tent. Merlander went in first followed by Torn and Tuya with the muse still in her arms. The poor thing looked worse now. It kept making the strange sound and sparking up.

"What do you need?" Mod asked the teen with a hint of anger in his voice. He had a frown on his face and his hands on his hips while watching Merlander come in. "Don't scare me like that again, do you hear me?"

"Yeah," Merlander said in a rush. "But my friend's pet muse is sick. Can you help it?" Tuya came forward with the cute thing and held it up to Mod. Mod's eyes went wide as he saw the creature. He had heard from Roxie that someone she knew had a pet muse, but he had never believed it. They had been wiped out years ago because of their soft fur. But now the rare muse, maybe the last on the planet, was there in front of him.

"Place him on the table," Mod ordered the Human girl while rushing to his bookcase. Merlander patted the table to tell her to put it on there. Tuya did so, and Mod was already there with a book in his hands. "It says here that the muse is…ha!"

"What?" Merlander asked him with confusion.

"It is a baby muse," Mod said while closing the book with one hand. "It is just going through its growing up process. The noise and sparking is just to warn off enemies. Baby ones just don't know how to control it. He is fine, just a late bloomer."

"What about it looking like it is going to die?" Merlander asked still all serious.

Mod shrugged his shoulders and said, "The wrong food. It will go away in a few minutes." Torn and Merlander looked at each other. _The ice cream_, was the thing going through both minds. Baby muses were not the most smartest things.

"Thanks for the help," Merlander said after a small laugh of relief.

"I think I should keep him, though," Mod said while taking the muse into his arms. "A small Human girl can't raise a muse. This might be the last on the planet. She already gave it the wrong food. She can't keep him."

"No!" Tuya finally spoke up. "Mozart mine!" She was about to grab her pet, but Torn put a hand on her shoulder to hold her back. "Mine!" she said while pointing to Mozart and looking up at Torn. Her eyes were pleading to keep him.

Torn walked over to Mod and took the muse out of his hands and said in his rough voice, "I'm afraid that it really belongs to the Human. She found it, she keeps it."

"Fine," Mod said in simple defeat. "But please take the book on it. It would be a shame if the thing was mistreated. I love animals as much as she does."

"I beg to differ," Merlander muttered under his breath from a corner of the tent.

"What was that?" Mod asked the teen.

"Nothing," Merlander said with a shrug. The teen knew Tuya was the biggest animal lover in the world. She would die for that muse.

Torn gave Mozart back to Tuya. She smiled widely while hugging the muse close to her. She then smiled at Torn and hugged him. Torn took a step back with surprise in weird silence till she let go. Merlander hid a smile under his hand. The leader did have a soft spot.

A/N: AW! Torn has a soft spot. It made me laugh. And the muse is so CUTE! I don't know if you remember from the first Jak and Daxter, but a muse was in it. It was that thing you had to catch on Misty Island for the sculpture guy who wanted it. I kind of forget what it looked like, so I just filled in different things. All I remember was that the thing was called a muse and it had big ears, green eyes, and sparkles flew around it when it moved. Maybe I should play the game again to get all the details.

Okay, I'll answer reviews now. I have not done that in a long time, and I'm sorry for that. I forget a lot easily. Please forgive me.

Yomiori-Wolfdemon: Thanks for the review! I'll try really hard to read your fic soon and review. I've read half of the last chapter. And thanks for reviewing every chapter. You're so sweet!

Light-Eco-Sage: My last Jak chapter made me have an idea for my next one. I really want to type that one out, so maybe in two more chapters of Daxter I'll give you another Jak chapter. Thanks for reviewing!

WRTD: NO! Not Beast Boy doing The Face! Anything but that! It gets me every time! Okay, next chapter of Jak will be out soon. Just stop making BB be so cute! I did not want this much begging. But with that evil cliffhanger I guess I had what was coming to me. But you have no idea what will happen to Jak, Nea, and Tubal. I'll give you a bit of information, though, because BB is just too dang funny. Someone in this fic is going to die. I just will not tell you who. But thanks for the review.

Authraw: Heehee! I was wondering if anyone was going to get that typo. I was quickly scanning for any spelling mistakes and saw that I did not want Jak's hands to be in front of him because he could hit Devo easily that way, so I changed it quickly to behind him. I guess too quickly, because I read it over once I put it on line and saw the mistake. Opps. It does make me laugh, though. I'll try to read your fic if I have time. And thanks for reviewing!


	30. Chapter 30 Shock Wristband

A/N: In this chapter it is winding up to the climax of the story. You see some of Merlander's hidden past. I'll give you more action with Roxie and Daxter. I've been trying hard to put them into the other chapters.

Daxter: "Yeah! You seem to forget who this story is all about, Pix!"

Pix: "Just say the disclaimer, fuzz butt!"

Daxter: "Pix owns nothing from Jak2. She does own a lot of characters in the fic. If you use them she will freak." Whispers to readers, "You do not want to see her pissed off. Word to the wise."

Pix: "I heard that! Shut it or you will really see me ticked off."

Daxter: "Fine. Just get on with the chapter. I want to see what happens. And when do I save Jak?"

Pix: "Next chapter will be a Jak chapter. And be patient, Daxy. You 'rescue' Jak at the very end of this fan fiction. So sit still."

Daxter: "Daxy!"

Pix: laughing insanely.

Chapter 30

The sun was setting fast on Haven City. Night was creeping up on it quickly. The sun was setting on the horizon as if it did not want to leave. A beautiful sunset was displayed in the sky overhead, but the Elves in the city did not care. They just wanted to get to bed that night and sleep.

A hood was pulled over his head to keep his face in darkness. The only thing on lookers saw was the shadows on his face. No one knew who he was. He walked down the dirty streets in the Slums waiting for the person to come and meet him.

A hand reached out from an empty dead end street and grabbed the guy into the alley. The boy flipped his hood off and smiled at Simon with his glowing yellow eyes seeming to get brighter. Akki had been waiting to talk to Simon in a long time.

"You have to help me, Simon," Akki said with his smile fading.

"Quiet, young one," Simon said in a firm yet calm voice that soothed Akki's nerves. The man grabbed the teen's shoulder and lightly pulled him into the shadows on the street so no one could see them talk to each other. "What do you need?" he finally asked while looking around to make sure no one else was with them.

"Merlander will not let me be leader," Akki said. "You said I should be. The teen is too busy with everything else to pay much attention to Black Water. With me leading the team I could put my full attention into it. Plus, I think Merlander is just messing with my team."

"You call it your team," Simon said with a warm smile. "Akki, do you really want to lead this team?" Simon put his hands on the boy's shoulders while looking straight into Akki's eyes. Akki nodded his head with no hesitation. "I can't lead the team any more, young one. I do not trust Merlander either."

"I do not know where he got all those strange ideas about you being a traitor," Akki said with his eyes glowing more with hatred. "You would never do that to us. Would you?"

Simon looked like the questioned had stung him. "Why would I betray Black Water?" he asked. "You kids are like my very own. Merlander just wants to forget me. It is not his fault, though. He has gone through many pains. The best way he gets through it is to forget ones he love. He tells you these things so you will forget about me. Do not hate him so much. He is only human."

"But how could he say that about you?" Akki said. "You and him were close to each other."

Simon nodded, but it was all a big lie to the boy in front of him. Really Merlander and him were like total opposites. Merlander and him had pretended to like each other, but on the inside Simon knew the teen never liked him. The boy's head was locked up tight, though. Simon could never read his thoughts, but he could still get vibes. Merlander's vibes were standoffish when he was around Simon. But soon the man would know every single thought of the teen's.

"Maybe you could talk to him," Akki said. "If he really saw you and you two talked maybe he would let me be leader."

This was the perfect thing for Simon. "Then please tell me where you are staying," Simon said in a rush. "Because I'm still under the Baron. He has a tracking device on me, and he only lets me out for a few minutes of the day. Please hurry, young one."

"We are changing houses," Akki said. "Merlander thinks it is best, but I would rather stay where we are now. But we are moving to a place still in the Slums. It is…"

* * *

"That's the last box," Merlander said while resting the box on the ground of their new home. Torn had lived up to his promise and moved Black Water to a larger home in the Slums. The person letting them live with them was only one man who worked for the Underground. He was happy to let them move in. Torn was even paying him a little for it.

"Good," Bo said while looking down at the box. She had Rose sitting on her hip. The little eco elf let out a little giggle as Merlander ticked her nose. "Stop messing with her, Mer," Bo said while moving away. "She is starting to get too heavy."

"Well, you're no fun at all," Merlander said while folding his arms in front of him. "Fun sucker!"

"Ch!" Bo said while glancing over her shoulder at him. "You're really mature!"

"Where do I sleep?" Flash said while zipping into the room with a flash of blue. He started to jump up and down while staring up at Merlander. "Do I get my own room? Please can I get one!"

"You're sharing one with me, buddy!" Merlander said while bending down to Flash's eye level.

"But you're never here," Flash said with sadness in his voice. "I don't like sleeping alone."

"Then why do you want your own room?" Merlander said with a short laugh. Flash thought about it then shrugged. Bo and Merlander laughed at the kid's actions. "I'll tell you what, Flash," Merlander said. "I'll try to be here as much as I can for now on. But you can't forget that I do have other work."

"What about Akki?" Flash asked. Before Merlander could answer, Flash had too much energy built up in him. He started to run around the living room in a big burst of energy. He finally stopped in front of Merlander and smiled.

Merlander was used to him doing that. "He will sleep in the same room," he said. "So you will have him to talk to all night if I'm not there. Where is Akki anyway?"

"I have no idea," Bo said from across the room. She was looking for one of her gadgets in a box. "Has anyone seen my wrench? I need it for the thing I'm working on!"

"I don't know where it is," Merlander said with a shrug. "You packed everything, miss organized."

Bo frowned at him then gave him a look that said, "Help me!"

"Let me hold Rose for a second," Merlander said. Bo gave a frustrated sigh and handed the baby over to him. She was about to give Rose to him when she turned pale with fright while looking behind the teen. Merlander felt a gun tip up against his back, and he froze.

"Moving party and no one invited me!" said Erol while walking up to Merlander and his group. The evil guy gave a laugh and said, "I would love to help you guys, but I have other business."

"What do you want, Erol?" Merlander said through clenched teeth.

"This is it, Merlander," Erol said with a triumphant smile spreading across his face. "Black Water is dead from this moment on. We are taking all the eco freaks to prison." As he said this, Krimson Guards came around and started to handcuff all of the team. They could do nothing. They were in total shock.

"But you're special, Merlander," Erol said while coming up to Merlander. "The Baron wants to talk to you." He started to handcuff Merlander with a wicked smile on his face. Merlander's head was spinning too fast to really notice the world around him. His whole world was falling apart! His life would never be the same after this.

Erol motioned for Merlander to follow him. At first the teen would not move, but the Krimson Guard shoved the gun into his back to make him move. Merlander followed Erol out of the house. The person who had let the group live there was knocked out on the ground in front of the house. A pool of blood came from his head. The sight made Merlander's stomach turn.

Erol got into a big Krimson Guard cruiser, and Merlander was shoved into the seat next to him with his hands still handcuffed tightly. Erol started up the cruiser, and it hovered off the ground. He pressed a few buttons in silence as Merlander watched him carefully. Erol then flew the cruiser higher than the city and headed for the palace.

After a few minutes of complete silence, Erol had to talk. He could feel Merlander's eyes bore on him, and he could not take it anymore. He glanced over to Merlander with sharp eyes. "Don't look at me like that, Mer," he said. "It will not be that bad. They will just get the information they need then maybe send you to the Wasteland. But only you and I know that you were born there."

"Now it is Mer?" Merlander asked with anger in his voice. "Back there it was Merlander. Now I'm suddenly your friend again? Stop fooling around with me, Erol! I'm stupid! You always thought I was stupid when we were kids. I'm not a kid anymore. I know what is going on."

"Now you're bringing up when we were kids," Erol said while rolling his eyes. "That was in the past, Mer. We are now two different people. I'm not letting some simple friendship when I was a kid get in my way today."

"It was not simple, Erol," Merlander said while shaking his head. "We were best friends for years! Don't you remember when first met? We had a bond."

"Yeah," Erol said quietly while looking ahead. "I remember."

It was hard not to remember when the two first met each other. They were both 15 in Elf years and had been out at the Pumping Station at night. Metal Heads had suddenly attacked them, and they ran into each other. Really, they slammed into each other. The two had worked together to fend off the Metal Heads and stay alive. After that the two NEVER left each other side.

Erol was more of the leader because he was always better than Merlander in everything. The only thing Merlander seemed to be better at was racing on zoomers. But Erol being the better of the two really was the thing that separated them. The Baron had seen only Erol's skills.

The Baron had needed a right hand man, and Erol had been perfect. The job had really been for Merlander because the Baron had promised his mother he would do that for him. Merlander had striven to take the place. He did not care what he had to do while doing the job. He just wanted it. Too bad Erol had cut in at the last minute and stole it right from under the teen's nose.

Erol's cruiser flew up to the zoomer bay and landed next to the door where a few Krimson Guards were waiting for him. Erol got out while turning the keys without a word. He never looked at Merlander. He only motioned for the Krimson Guards to take Merlander and to follow.

Merlander walked behind Erol with a frown on his face. How could he do this to him? He was wondering if fate was not on his side. For a few years it seemed that Merlander could make a good living. But today nothing would go right for him. Hatred started to swell up in the teen as he stared at the back of Erol's head with a gun pointed at his own.

His whole life had been a mistake. His mom had been living in the Wasteland because she had been a castaway. She had been so depressed that first night in Spargus City, that was the oasis of the Wasteland and ruled by one called Damas, she had gotten herself drunk. Well, one thing lead to another with the young girl, andshe had sex with another guy. She was then pregnant and had Merlander. His birth was a mistake. She never wanted him. He was just like a reminder to her of her biggest mistake in her whole life.

Merlander had grown up in the Wasteland on his own. He had no father, and his mom never wanted him in the house. He never went to school because there were not very many kids in Spargus at this time. Merlander had spent most of his time wondering around the small city. When he was older he had grown interest in the dun buggy type vehicles that were for riding outside the city walls. He had taken off with a few to explore another world outside the city gates. That was why he was so good at driving zoomers once he and his mom were accepted back into Haven City.

Now all Merlander could think about was how his life had gone down the drain. He was even not supposed to be alive! He was just one big failure. Was this his only future? To be thrown around like a toy till they had what they wanted? Being back in the Wasteland would be fine, but he could not let his team be left in the hands of the Baron. He would have to come back to the city to save them. But how could he do that? This was just not his day.

The group walked into the throne room. The only sound was the clinking and clanking of the Krimson Guard's armor and the quiet footsteps as the Elves walking swiftly over the floor. The Baron sat in his chair with a wide smile on his face. Simon stood by his side with his face blank. His hands were behind his back as always while his eyes were focused on Merlander.

Merlander glanced at Simon while coming in, and his eyes narrowed at the man in pure hatred. This was mainly Simon's fault. Merlander quickly looked at the Baron smiling down at him from his high chair. It was another thing Merlander hated. The man was always looking down on him. Merlander did not return the smile. His frown only hardened. These were the men who would crush his only life then leave him alone to pick up the tiny pieces left behind. This would be the beginning of the end.

"So glad you could make it, Merlander," the Baron said with a cold tone to his voice.

"Just get on with it, Praxis!" Merlander snapped back at his uncle with anger slipping into his voice. He had never felt so much hate in his life before. "Everything is a game for you," Merlander went on bravely with his voice more steady this time. "I'm just one tiny piece that you want to control. The city is just your playing board. Why don't you grow up and stop playing the game. Get to the real life!"

"Don't talk like that to your Baron!" Praxis yelled at his nephew while standing up. Merlander locked his hard, violet eyes on the Baron. The look could kill the man. For a few seconds the Baron did feel a bit scared from his nephew's stare. He then walked down the steps of his throne and came up to Merlander. "You WILL obey me someday! So get your attitude fixed right now!"

"You don't need me," Merlander said while making his hands into tight fists. "Everything I know you know. Just throw me into the Wasteland and be done with me."

The Baron looked at Merlander for a long time then smiled. He then started to chuckle, and a shiver went down Merlander's spine. "You have no idea what I plan to do with you," Praxis said to the teen with a wide grin on his face. "Just you're last sentence told me so. I'm not done with you yet, boy."

Merlander's stomach dropped as if he was on the highest roller coaster known to mankind. He suddenly felt cold, and his cocky appearance quickly vanished into thin air. What was the Baron planning to do with him? The question kept turning over in the teen's head as he watched his uncle sit back down in his chair.

"Merlander, you're now part of my palace," the Baron went on with that same smile on his face as before. Merlander looked back up at him with defeat in his eyes. The light had gone out of him. This was his punishment for living. "You will stay in here at all times unless I tell you that you can go out. And to make sure you obey my every command I had someone make something for me to keep you in control. Say hello to your new best friend. The Shock Wristband."

Erol pulled out a silver wristband from somewhere. It was made of thin metal. Erol came over to Merlander and grabbed his arm. Merlander pulled back to put up a useless attack. Erol finally clipped on the wristband on Merlander's right arm. It was tight on the teen's arm, and the cold metal made Merlander shiver again.

"It works perfectly," the Baron went on while seeing Merlander's discomfort. "When you're heartbeat goes up a little you will feel pain. Anything that is stress related the wristband will give you pain. And when you go anywhere outside the palace it will instantly kill you."

"If I'm this important to keep then why do you have something that would kill me?" Merlander said with a slight smile. He was trying hard not to freak out. His heartbeat was already started to speed up, and he could feel a small shock of pain from his wrist. The thing was working already.

"Are you willing to try to see if I'm bluffing?" the Baron asked Merlander. The teen frowned and did not answer. Merlander was not the suicide type. He would not try to escape if he knew it would kill him. Plus, his mind was already working on a plan to rescue his friends. How could he do that if he was dead?

"What should we do with him now?" Erol asked the Baron without glancing over to Merlander.

Simon answered for the Baron. He took a step forward with his hands still behind his back. He seemed relaxed, almost as if he was happy. "Take him to his room, Erol," Simon said. He stole a glance toward Merlander and saw the teen's pure hatred for him. Simon looked back to Erol and added, "I'll wait awhile before getting the information I need from him. The process takes a lot of focus. I will need to meditate."

"Go now," Praxis said to Erol with a wave of his hand. "I'm almost starting to get bored." Erol nodded and motioned for his Krimson Guards to follow him with Merlander. One Krimson Guard shoved the teen forward, and he stumbled to catch his balance. He looked down at his wrist and gave a small wince once they were out of the room. The pain was getting worse, and it was starting to really hurt. How was he to get out of this one?

* * *

"This is getting boring," Daxter said with no emotion in his voice. He was sitting on a rock in Haven Forest watching Roxie play around with her green eco powers. Merlander had said to meet him there that morning. He was an hour late. They had not seen him around the city all day. No one knew where he was.

"He said he would come," Roxie said while forming a green eco ball in her hand. She threw it in the air and caught it behind her back with her other arm. "Besides," she added with a shrug. "What else are we going to do around the city. We have already mapped out the whole place about a dozen times."

Daxter looked over the side of his rock that was far above Roxie. He grabbed some grass nearby and sprinkled some down on her head out of boredom. He heard her scream as the grass fell into her face. She swatted the air while glowing green to protect herself. She had totally flipped out. Daxter started to laugh at her from a safe distance on his rock.

"You're as evil as me, you know that?" Roxie said to him while realizing what he had done. "Don't do that again, fuzz butt!" She looked up and saw his head stick up from around the rock above her. His little ears were perked up, and he gave her a funny smile while dropping more grass down on her. She screamed while covering her head. "Don't make me come up there!" she yelled up to him through giggles.

"You suck!" Daxter yelled back down to her. He threw more grass down on her. He suddenly heard her climbing up the cliff and stopped. He looked over the edge and saw a hand shot up into his face missing his face by an inch. He gave a short yell of surprise while backing up.

"Well, you suck times infinity," Roxie said while climbing up over the edge of the cliff. She gave Daxter a wicked smile and grabbed him. "Now what should I do with you?" she asked him while holding onto his body tight so he would not escape.

"Put me down!" he yelled while laughing. She started to tickle under his foot with her same evil smile. "No! Stop!" he said in between laughs. He started to kick her to get free. "I'll do anything!"

"Anything?" Roxie repeated while now tickling both of his feet.

"Yes! Anything you wish!" Daxter said while laughing more. "Just stop!"

"Kay!" Roxie said while letting him go. He fell to the rock floor with a thud on his butt. "I love it when the good guy wins!"

"Don't do that again," Daxter said while getting up and brushing his fur off. "That was totally evil."

"I told you to stop throwing that grass," Roxie said while folding her arms in front of her. She looked down at Daxter and saw him look down with a sad expression on his face. He was having that look often. "You okay, Daxy?" she asked him while bending down to his height.

"Fine," Daxter said while snapping back into his normal mode. He looked over to her with his eyebrows raised as if she was seeing things. "Why do you ask?" he asked while scratching one of his ears with the one of his back legs like a dog would.

"You just seem sad," Roxie said with a shrug.

"It was nothing," Daxter said with the wave of his hand. "It was just that Jak was the only one who knew that my feet was the only place where I felt ticklish. It is no big deal. I've just been missing him a lot lately. It has been more than a year since I last saw him."

"Merlander said he was trying to rescue him," Roxie said with a reassuring smile. "Once Jak completes his training he will come back to the city, and we can rescue him there. You just have to wait. We'll rescue him soon."

"Good," Daxter said with a nod. "Because sitting on your shoulder is starting to get dangerous, and I don't feel all that safe anymore."

"I'm safe!" Roxie said with a frown. "I'm flowing with green eco!"

"And you keep calling me names," Daxter said while crossing his arms and staring up at her.

"I do not!" she snapped back.

"Let's see," Daxter said while rolling his eyes. "There is fuzz ball, fuzzy, fuzz butt, Orange Lightning, and let's not forget my favorite, Daxy."

"But I love the name Daxy," Roxie said with a giggle. "And you are fuzzy. Get used to it."

"No more names," Daxter said to her. She gave a short laugh then looked up at someone rushing toward them. "Who's that?" Daxter asked while climbing up to her shoulder for a better look. It was not Merlander. Daxter squinted and recognized the person first. "It's Akki!"

Akki ran up to them all out of breath. He did not stop running and grabbed Roxie's arm. He pulled her behind a tree and looked around with wide eyes of fright. Roxie just looked confused as Akki pinned her against the trunk of the tree. What was his problem?

"What the heck is going on?" Daxter asked Akki loudly while climbing up to Roxie's head.

"Quiet!" Akki said quickly while looking up to Daxter. He then focused his attention back to Roxie and looked her straight in the eyes. He looked scared. "Roxie," he said after taking a deep breath. "I think I've done something really bad."

"Akki?" Roxie asked him with confusion. She was scared also because she was pinned against the tree and his grip on her shoulders could crush her bones. "What is going on?"

"It all started a few weeks ago when I saw Simon in the streets," Akki said quickly. He kept glancing around the forest like a cornered mouse. "We kept meeting at the same time, and he said that I should become leader because he did not trust Merlander. Well, I started to watch Merlander closely, and I did not trust him either. But Simon said he would like to speak with Merlander, so I told him yesterday where Black Water was moving today. I could not help the team because Krimson Guards stopped me while I was on my way to the house. Well, I was totally wrong and never saw it till it was too late."

"Whoa, slow down there, dude!" Daxter said with eyes wide. Roxie winced because Akki's grip was getting tighter with every word said. Akki looked up to Daxter and relaxed just a little. "What happened?" Daxter asked slowly. "We need to know what happened to Black Water."

Akki was freaking out now. "Simon is really working for the Baron!" he said. "I told him where Black Water was, and he went in there this afternoon and killed the owner of the house. Erol took Merlander to the palace for Simon to suck the information out of him. The rest are being tested on because of their eco abilities. Bo is going to be forced to build stuff for him. The Baron now has so much power in the palm of his hand, and it is all my fault!"

"Akki!" Roxie yelled with pain in her eyes. "How could you trust Simon like that!"

"I think he was controlling my mind with his Mind Speaking," Akki yelled back. He was a complete mess as he suddenly just dropped to the floor and held his head in his hands. "Now he is after us. I just totally killed off the only people I loved! It is all my fault!" Tears started to spring to his eyes as he thought about it.

Daxter and Roxie shared a glance at one another. They both winced while looking back down at Akki in a ball on the ground. Before the two could comfort the teen, a gun was shot and missed Daxter by less than an inch. Roxie gasped in surprise, and they both saw the mark the laser left in the tree behind them.

"We got to get out of here," Roxie said while yanking Akki to his feet. Daxter slipped to Roxie's shoulder as she took off into a sprint with Akki right behind her. They ran blindly through the forest. Krimson Guards followed right behind while shooting at them constantly. Roxie glowed green to protect herself and let Akki get in front of her so she could protect him.

They came out to a clearing with a drop into darkness. The only way to get to the other side was some precursor railing. Akki skidded to a stop with Roxie almost bumping right into him. Daxter hopped off Roxie's shoulder and started to crawl across the rail quickly to show the two Elves that they were not stopping here.

"We have to cross this," Roxie said. "Just be careful," she told Akki. She took a step out and carefully made her way across the single rail. She could hear the Krimson Guards coming up from behind her. Halfway across the rail she saw Daxter frown and point behind her to tell her that they enemy had arrived.

"Hang on!" Akki called to her. He jumped on the rail and slid down it. He bumped into Roxie and pushed her onto the other side. She quickly turned around and grabbed Akki's arm. She glowed green just in time when the Krimson Guards started to shoot at them again. She transferred some of her green eco to Akki and felt like she was taking away some of his yellow eco. It was a strange feeling to her.

They started to run again. Daxter jumped up to Roxie's shoulder once again with a grim smile on his face. They had mapped out this part of Haven Forest, so he knew where Roxie was heading. They jumped down a steep little cliff. By this time they were out of breath and lucky that there were not shot. Roxie grabbed Akki's arm once again when they came up to a two way section.

"Where are we going?" Akki asked her while gasping for breath.

"The portal is the only way out of here," Roxie said quickly. She picked up the pace and dragged Akki behind her. "If we get into the city we can blend in, and the Krimson Guards will never know where we went."

"They would have deactivated the warp gate already," Akki said to her.

"They thought they would capture us already," Daxter answered while looking ahead. "Krimson Guards never think ahead. I don't think they even know how to deactivate it. Just keep running no matter what."

"What?" Akki asked him with confusion.

"Jump!" Roxie yelled while leaping into the air off a cliff. Akki had no time to register what was going on and jumped off with her with a yell. Daxter closed his eyes and held tightly to Roxie's shoulder for his dear life. The girl burst into green eco while falling in mid air. They landed on the cliff with a warp gate.

"Wow!" Daxter said while opening one eye and looking around. The other two were leaning over panting to catch their breath. "Now that was sweet! We just fell more than 100 feet!"

Roxie shook her head while listening to her fuzzy friend. For the first time in her life she was kind of freaked out. Akki said nothing, but you could still tell he was freaked because his hands were slightly shaking. He closed his eyes while rubbing his forehead. Roxie cooled herself off by taking off her pirate hat and fanning herself with it.

"Time to go," Roxie said while grabbing his shoulder and pushing him toward the warp gate. They both jumped through to the other side. The small group ran out of Haven Forest in a flash. Roxie jumped into a two-seat zoomer and turned the keys sharply. "We are out of here," she muttered and turned the zoomer in the right direction.

"What are we going to do?" Akki asked Roxie as they flew into the main part of the city. The Krimson Guards were no where to be seen, so it was time to talk.

"I'm hungry," Daxter chimed in with a perky tone to his voice.

"Good idea," Roxie said while turning to go to the Bazaar. "I'm hungry too."

"Are you guys even listening!" Akki almost yelled at them. He ran his fingers through his brown hair while shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yeah," Daxter answered him with a small smile. "But I can't think if I have nothing in my stomach. And we can't go back to Roxie's house. We should hang around the city tonight just to be safe."

"We are here," Roxie said while jumping off the zoomer. Akki hesitated for a few seconds, but he finally followed her. He could not stand to be alone. "Man, a good fish burger sounds real good right now! How 'bout you, Dax?"

"Yeah," Daxter said with a shrug. "I just need to calm down. My heartbeat is sky high still."

"Baron Praxis is so going to pay for what he is doing to us," Roxie said while sitting down at a stool at Brutter's little hut. Daxter jumped off her shoulder and landed on the table. Akki sat down next to her with a silent nod of agreement. "This day will always come back to haunt him," she seethed through clenched teeth.

A/N: How was the chapter? The ending was not a big cliffhanger, but I think it did well. Next chapter will be of Jak. I'm sure you people can't wait for that one. I'm sorry I could not respond to reviews. I'm going to be busy, so I can't do them. I'm starting to feel like Merlander now because for the past three to four weeks I've been having only three hours every night. I know. That was totally random. But please give a review. Thanks!


	31. Chapter 31 Night Of Escape

A/N: Jak chapter! SWEET! I know you guys were dying to see this chapter, so here it is. Next one will be in a little while because I still need to space it out. I'm so sorry for getting it out late. I was gone all Friday and Saturday. On Sunday my laptop broke down and I only got it fixed last night. Stupid computer!

Disclaimer: I'm 14! Do you think I could have thought up all of Jak2? Think deeply about it!

Chapter 31

Jak was lying on his back in his open cell that was behind Devo's house. His day of torturing was done and he could finally drift off to sleep. This night was different, though. It was his last in the prison cell. The cell was round and made out of big stones carved into blocks. The walls were tall and there was no ceiling but only bamboo reeds placed on the top. There was nothing to block out the rain or the burning sun. But it did give Jak a perfect view of the stars at night.

Jak looked different now. He was extremely thin. His skin was a dark color because of the relentless sun beating down on him all the time. The light had gone out of his blue eyes. He had not smiled in the four months he had been held in the prison. Scars ran up and down his whole body from the many times Devo tortured him. It had been useless, though, because for four months Jak still said nothing about the pills.

_I wonder what the camp will be like,_ Jak thought to himself while staring up into the sky. _Nea and Tubal will be gone. I will know no one. I hope the two have a better life now. Life will be different when I get out of here._

* * *

Tubal and Nea sat across from each other in Nea's tent at night. Tubal was all better now and back to his normal self. He was not his self tonight, though. They both sat in silence while staring at the map of the fort and the weapons they had collected over the past few months. The gun Jak had stolen was off to the side. They did not want to remember him.

Finally Nea snapped. "We are not leaving tonight," she said harshly to Tubal. "I know this whole time we were planning on leaving the kid here, but this is not right. He put his life on the line to save your life. I don't care that you have been in this fort for so long. We can not leave him here to die!"

"Nea," Tubal said while putting up a hand to stop her.

"No, Tubal," she almost shouted back. "Listen to me. I'm not leaving this place till we have the kid with us. Okay? I might be a bit of a pushover, but right now I'm not doing anything you say to do."

"Nea," Tubal tried again to talk to her.

"Stop talking," she spat back. "I'm not leaving!"

"Nea!" he almost yelled. "I'm with you all the way! So stop talking and let's get a plan together so all three of us can escape."

"Oh," Nea said feeling stupid all of the sudden. "You could have said that before I went off ranting."

"I was having too much fun seeing you make an idiot out of yourself," Tubal said with a smile. "Now let's get down to business."

* * *

Jak picked up a tray and went through the line for food. It was his first morning back into the fort. He took the tofu eggs, and he knew he was crazy when he did not complain. He was hungry from being tortured for so many days. Sometimes he did not get food for a week. Right now he was so thin and weightless that you could pick him up and throw him across the room with no trouble.

Jak walked over to his old table where Tubal and Nea used to sit with him. He took a deep breath to prepare himself to not see anyone he knew there. He frowned a little when the worst had been true. Nea and Tubal were nowhere to be seen at the table. They were gone. They had left him. Jak never felt so alone in his whole life.

"Don't eat the tofu eggs, kid," someone said from behind Jak. "They made even Durgen throw up last week."

Jak's eyes lit up while he spun around. Tubal and Nea stood in front of him with smiles on their faces. They all put their trays down on the table. Jak was about to sit down, but Nea wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"I almost thought they would kill you," she whispered into his ear. She let go of him, and they all sat down. Jak had the widest grin on his face. They had not left him. They stayed for some reason. Jak now knew that these were friends he would never want to give up.

"We still have an escape plan, kid," Tubal whispered from across the table to Jak. "This time it takes three. How 'bout it, kid? Still want to get out of this dump, or is the food in Devo's prison cell too good to let go?"

Jak looked up from his breakfast as he heard the news. All this was for him? He gave the two a sly smile to show that he was still in. His spirits were set free all of the sudden. He would live. He would get free and find Daxter with the help of his news friends. They would all get back at the Baron for all the hell they went through. After this day everything would change.

A month went by since Jak got back into the training. He needed to get to know the plan Tubal and Nea had made for all of them. It was kind of like their first one, but this one was way better. If it went by perfectly everything would go good for them. The last one was thought out, but it was lacking the chance of getting out without being seen.

Jak quickly stepped back into the life of the fort. Sometimes Tubal or Nea gave him some of their food to get his health back. He had looked like a toothpick when he had first gotten out of Devo's section of the fort. He was so thin and light. He had a high fever for the first three days back into the fort.

While he had his fever, Jak would dream. His dreams were replaying his days back in Sandover Village. Most of them were of him and Daxter. Man! He missed Daxter so much. He missed his old home. It had been so peaceful. He would wake up with sweat soaking his whole body and feeling like the last person on the planet. He would feel so alone. He was in a living hell.

When the fever broke and Jak was allowed to go back to training, he was back to himself once again. The three went right away to their escape plan. They explained every detail to Jak in low whispers at breakfast. Every chance the friends got they talked about their escape. It was on their minds every second of the day. It seemed to lift them up too. It made them run faster to know that one day they would not have to do anything. Jak found all his strength to know that soon he would be away from the horrible place.

Finally the night came to escape.

The night was perfect. The darkness surrounded the fort like a dark blanket. It was a full moon that night, and the disk in the sky shone a brilliant glow over the fort. Stars twinkled in the sky, and you could make out every constellation. The air was crisp and clean. It was also a bit cool with no wind at all. It felt good to step out of the tent after a hot day and feel the coolness flow around your body.

"We all know what we need to do," Tubal said to his team. He was elected leader of everything. "Remember the details and what you need to do," he said in a low whisper. He flashed his tiny team a smile because the happiness was too much inside of him. "Got it?"

"Yes," Nea said while smiling herself. Jak gave a nod to show his answer. All were nervous too. Tubal would talk to himself when nervous while Nea would just bite her lower lip. Jak would switch to different feet with too much energy. The first move they were going to make would be his. He did not want to screw it up.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. The footsteps of the patrol Krimson Guard seemed to echo around the dark tent the three were in. This was it! They waited for them to get louder before acting quickly. Tubal nodded to Jak, and the teen turned on the lantern with his hand slightly shaking.

"No hard feelings, kid," Nea whispered to Jak while they both stood up. She then yelled at him loudly for the guard outside to hear, "I should throw you into the a blender and turn it on high and then serve you to Devo. And when he asks me what made his meal so good I'll answer…"

Jak could hear the footsteps quicken outside the tent. He gave Nea a guilty smile while throwing his arm back. He struck her lightly on the chin, but she made it dramatic by backing up as if it hurt badly.

"You did not just do that!" she yelled at him. She then lunged at him with a smile on her face. Jak let Nea knock him to the floor of the tent. By this time the Krimson Guard was there to break up the so-called "fight".

"Cut it out!" he yelled while aiming his gun at the two on the floor about to beat the crap out of each other.

"Chill," Tubal said from behind the Krimson Guard. The guard turned around with surprise to see another Elf in the tent. Tent five only had two people in it. Where had he come from? Before the Krimson Guard could respond, Tubal struck him over the head with a big rock. The dude hit the floor of the tent knocked out from the blow.

"What is going on down there?" came a call from a Krimson Guard on the wall. When Jak was gone the whole fort was redone. Instead of glass pieces on the top of the wall there was electric wires. At every corner was a small box with a spotlight to keep an eye on the prisoners. Right now the spotlight was coming toward the tent.

"Crap!" Nea whispered while getting up and seeing the light come towards them. If the lookout did not see the Krimson Guard he would put the whole place on alert. That would end the three's escape. "Do something, Tubal!" she said to him with a bit of panic in her voice.

Thinking fast, Tubal grabbed the Krimson Guard and held him up so it looked like nothing was wrong. The light came on the tent and made the whole room in there light up. The three had to squint because of the brightness. Tubal stood behind the propped up guard and made his hand wave to the guard on the lookout tower. This seemed to satisfy the lookout, and the light went away.

All three had been holding their breath. Every heart was beating so fast and loud that they could swear that the whole world could hear it. They waited in the dim light for a few seconds before doing anything. Tubal was first to break the creepy silence by dropping the Krimson Guard to the ground with a thud.

"Suit up, kid," he urged Jak while clipping off the Krimson Guard's red armor. Jak quickly put all the armor on as the plan went on. His hands were still shaking, and Nea put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. He gave her a smile then slid the helmet over his head. He looked like a perfect Krimson Guard as he held the gun up and stood up straight. The other two looked him over for any mistakes then smiled to tell him to go.

Jak gave them a two-finger salute while walking out of the tent and into the open. The spotlight shone on him for two seconds then went away once the lookout person saw his red armor. Jak slowly walked over to the lookout tower. He climbed the ladder to the top.

"What was going on in tent five?" the Krimson Guard asked Jak without noticing that his buddy was shorter than before. BAM! Jak had thrown his fist back and landed it on the guard's jaw. The guy stumbled backwards while holding onto his chin.

"What are you doing!" the guard yelled at him. Jak smiled behind his helmet and put some of his held up anger and hate into his next move. He ran up to the guard and struck with his left foot while twirling on his right one. In one easy and graceful move, Jak had the man down. He had kicked him on the side of his head. The stupid Elf had had his helmet off, so he was dizzy from the blow and fell to the floor with a grunt.

Jak moved quickly. He pulled out some rope and cloth from his pocket. He tied the man's hands and wrists together. He smiled wickedly while pulling out a dirty sock he had used the other day. He shoved the sock into the Krimson Guard's mouth then used the cloth to gag him some more. The hard part was done.

Jak then took out a mirror and leaned out of the window of the lookout tower. He used the mirror to reflect the light from the spotlight to shine brightly into the other lookout's eyes. Jak saw the man put an arm up to cover his eyes while backing up.

That was when Tubal and Nea ran out of their tent. There were around four other Krimson Guard patrols going around all the tents. No problem there. The two quickly and quietly found the guards and took them down. Jak watched from the lookout tower way above them.

Nea ran up behind one guard and used a roundhouse kick to knock him down. She then kicked him hard where it counted. To top it off she slammed his head against the ground, and he was knocked out silently. She then dragged him to their tent to tie him up.

Tubal had the same job. He was not as graceful as Nea, though. He first body slammed into his first guard to knock him down. After a few hard punches to the face, the guard was knocked out and ready to be tied up. The two then took out the other guards and tied them up while Jak kept the other lookout guards busy with the mirror. They could not see a thing.

Then the two ran up to Jak's lookout tower and climbed up the ladder to his level. It was time for the tricky part. The three had to get over the electric wire running around the top of the walls. Jak quickly took off all the armor when he saw his friends. He gave them a grim smile while glancing down to his tied up guard.

"Good job, kid," Tubal whispered to him while patting Jak on the back. "You were perfect. So far everything is going well. Now for the wire."

"Here are the plans for the electric wires running all over the walls," Nea said while taking out a piece of paper from under her shirt. Tubal had stolen another map of all the electric wires around the fort. Tubal took out an old screw diver from his pocket and started to open a small box in the small space of the lookout tower.

He opened it and Nea started to look at each wire carefully. She started to bite her lower lip, and Jak knew that was not a good sign. She glanced from her paper to the box holding all the different colored wires. She finally picked one she thought was right, and Tubal handed her a rusty knife. They had planned this thoroughly. Getting their hands on all the tools was not easy, but they proved it was possible.

"Let's hope this is right," she muttered to her team. She then cut the wire, and they could hear the tiny buzz of electric bolts suddenly turn off. They all smiled and opened the back window of the lookout tower. They carefully stepped over the harmless wire.

"Down we go!" Tubal whispered in a sing song voice. Jak let out a silent laugh because he knew he would not be heard. They all started to climb down the rocky wall. The inside of the fort's wall was smooth, but they had left it rocky with many feet and hand holds on the outside.

Jak had climbed many times in Sandover Village. This was no different. He tested every foothold before putting his whole weight on it. It was hard to see anything with no light. The only thing showing them the way down was the bright moon way above them.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

All three jumped in surprise. Jak lost his footholds and started to fall because the wall was still very steep. He started to panic. He could get hurt if he landed from this fall. Then it would be all over. He was just thankful that Tubal had seen him start to fall and grabbed Jak's arm before he fell too far. Nea grabbed Jak's other arm. They both held him there till the teen found more foot and handholds.

"What did we do?" Nea asked Tubal as they started to climb down again. "Why is the fort on alert?"

"We did nothing," Tubal said with confusion. "MOVE, kid!" he shouted down to Jak. "We have to get out of here as soon as possible. Quicken the pace! Sorry for yelling at you, kid."

Jak just glanced up at Tubal and gave him a small smile of forgiveness. He did not test footholds now. He went down the wall blindly and slipping a few times. He finally felt soft ground under his feet, and he backed away from the wall. Tubal and Nea were right behind him.

"Now run!" Tubal said to them, not bothering to whisper. Before the team could race into the jungle, they heard an ominous growl from behind them.

Jak almost freaked out right then and there. They turned around slowly to face the Metal Head. Jak had never seen one before. The yellow skull gem glowed in the darkness of the night. It seemed to be smiling evilly at them with its razor sharp teeth dripping saliva.

"This is why the fort is on high alert," Tubal said quietly while backing up from the Metal Head.

"Perfect timing," Nea muttered. "Now we have to fight a bunch of Metal Heads. How lucky can we get?"

Then the Metal Head pounced.

A/N: I love my evil cliffhangers! HAHA! Please give a review! It would be nice. Thanks!


	32. Chapter 32 Trip Down Memory Lane

A/N: I'm SO sorry for not updating in a long time. My laptop keeps breaking down and on the weekends I now have meetings at my church because I'm going to something called NYGO. It means I got to New York City and tell people randomly about God. Kind of scary once you think about it, but I need training and people to pray for me, so can you guys do that? It would be nice. But here is your chapter! Please R&R. Thanks! And I don't own anything from Jak2!

Chapter 32

It is not fun being tied down to a wooden chair. It is worse when the rope tied around your wrists is cutting into your skin and you're gagged and blindfolded. At first Merlander had thought that Simon would come real soon, and his head went into panic mode. He finally calmed down and forced himself to think straight. He could get through this.

He had maybe an hour at the most. Merlander remembered that it took Simon about that much time to meditate. He needed a plan to get out of there after his mind was searched. He needed a way to block Simon out of some of the most important things. The location of the Underground hideout was one that the Baron could not have. All the others were just about what the Baron was doing.

Merlander cleared his head and thought up walls to try and stop Simon from getting in too deep. He knew of a way to led Simon down the wrong path for the Underground part. The more he thought about it the more it seemed to work in his head.

Suddenly Merlander heard the door open to the small cell he was in. Merlander could feel his mind being read, and he tried to block Simon once again. He would never go down without a fight.

"It is worthless, Merlander," came Simon's voice from in front of Merlander. He still had the blindfold on, so he could see nothing. All around him was a thick blanket of darkness. Simon was trying to make him a bit scared because everyone has to be just a little bit afraid of the dark. It was kind of working. Merlander was getting sick of not being able to see anything.

Merlander muttered a curse into his gag while struggling in the ropes. He was trying to reach into his back pocket for his small knife that would help him get out of the binds keeping him for the mean time stuck to the wooden chair. He never dared his mind to think about the knife. Simon could be sneaking around his head at any time.

"Now, Merlander," Simon started. Merlander could hear his voice clearly through the darkness surrounding him. He shivered mentally as he felt a hand press lightly on his forehead. "I am not here to hurt you. I'm only looking for information. You must keep calm, or it might hurt a bit. I'm going to take off the wristband because the pain might hurt me too."

Simon's voice was calm and soft. It was as if he was not even working for the Baron, but Merlander knew better. He felt the wristband come off his arm, and the small amount of pain flowing through his body stopped. He had been getting used to it.

"Now, I'm going to look just a little bit at the beginning to get you used to it," Simon said slowly and clearly. "It might feel strange, but I need you to be calm."

"_No!"_ Merlander screamed in his head back at Simon.

Simon paid no attention to him. He pushed his hand down on Merlander's forehead. Fragment of memories sprang up into Merlander's head. They were of his early childhood. All the fights he had with his mom and feeling so lonely. Merlander was surprised at how easy Simon was looking into his mind. He quickly tried to block him, and it made his head hurt.

"Stop it, Merlander," Simon ordered firmly. "You're only hurting yourself. Now just let me in."

"_No!"_ Merlander yelled in his head over and over again.

"That's it," Simon said with a bit of anger in his voice. This made Merlander's head feel dizzy. Merlander's blindfold was pulled off, and he could suddenly see again. He blinked in surprise a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light.

Simon grabbed Merlander's chin and forced the teen to look him in the eye. "Look at me, Merlander," Simon said with a stern voice. Merlander struggled in the ropes, and he looked down. He would not look at Simon for anything. He secretly pulled out his knife and started to slowly cut away on his bindings.

"I can get into every mind I want to," Simon muttered into Merlander's face while still trying to get eye contact. "But I can't get into yours. Why can't I? I'm determined to figure that out. What makes you tick?"

Pain started to erupt in Merlander's head like a massive migraine. The teen gave a wince as it kept going. It felt like his head was going to explode. The pain was too much for him. He finally looked up into Simon's eyes preparing for the worst. The pain stopped and Merlander seemed to be in a trance.

Every single memory Merlander held dear Simon saw as the two stared into each other's eyes. His life was flying past him. Merlander finally got a grip on himself and started to try to control the flow of memories. Every memory that he hated and every one that he loved flew by and was passed over to his enemy.

Wasteland, unwanted, alone, uncle, friend, betrayed, hurt, Haven City, Black Water, Underground, project, gone, love. Every emotion Merlander had Simon felt now. The kid had a strong mind. Simon knew he had missed a few details, but he had gotten what he wanted. Merlander's whole life was now his to pick through.

Simon finally looked away from Merlander and the memories stopped. Merlander closed his eyes as his whole life was so fresh in his mind. He had pushed all those thoughts into the back of his mind and told himself for so long to never remember them again. It had been working till now. Now it was too much for him.

"Good," Simon said with a nod to Merlander. "It took you a long time to let it all out, but you can never forget your past, Merlander. And you do have a purpose in life. The Baron is planning many things with you. You should have been his right hand man."

Merlander kept his head down. He still had a headache, and his vision kept doubling. Simon walked around Merlander and grabbed the knife out of his hand with a hint of a smile on his face. Merlander swore into his gag while glaring at Simon.

"Almost got away with this," Simon said with a laugh. "You have one of the strongest minds I've ever seen. I marvel at that in someone. You gained that by your life in the Wasteland. You're quick thinking. Keep your head sharp, Merlander. You'll need it."

Simon then opened the door to the room. Erol was there looking very angry with him. "You were not told to do that!" he hissed at Simon with his eyes narrow with anger. "You were told just to find things out about the Underground. You were not ordered to look through his whole life!"

"It needed to be done," Simon said calmly to Erol. "You're 'friend' is fine." Simon then brushed past Erol with a sly smile on his face as Erol kept glaring daggers at him. Erol then slammed the door to Merlander's room shut without looking at his childhood friend. How come he could not just move on?

* * *

Tuya gave a small smile as she drew on her pad a picture of Krew. Her frail fingers were placed lightly on her pencil, and her hand was skilled at the art of drawing almost anyone. Krew had been a new face that day, and she had been determined to draw him even if the guy totally creeped her out.

She had gone to work with Tess that morning. The two were becoming the best of friends. At first Krew had said that he did not want Humans to work at his saloon because most Elves did not like them. But after seeing Tuya, the fat Elf changed his mind and let the girl work for him that day. He had looked at her a little too long for Tuya's liking.

"Almost done," Tess said cheerfully to Tuya while wiping down the bar with an old rag. "Then we can head over to the target practice place so Torn can have a training session there."

It was okay for her to talk like this in front of Krew because the big guy was sleeping on his floating machine. It was quite funny if you watched him mutter a few things. He sometimes grunted in his sleep as if in his dreams someone was taking him away from his donuts. It always made Tuya laugh.

"Have to finish," Tuya said while glancing back up at Krew.

"What are you drawing?" Sig asked her from across the room. He was glancing over a paper that Krew had given him earlier.

"Fat boy," Tuya said with a smile. That was her nickname for Krew. Tess had loved it. Sig had just shaken his head with a chuckle when he first heard it.

"She draws everything," Tess said while coming up from behind the bar. "She drew you this morning, Sig."

"Really?" Sig asked with a sudden interest in his voice. "Was it good?"

"You should take a look at it sometime," Tess said with a nod. "She is the best artist I've ever seen."

"Done," Tuya announced to Tess while packing up her note pad into a small backpack she had on the day she was found. All of her stuff she had in there and she did not let anyone else see them. Only Torn had seen the weird stuff in her backpack when she was sleeping one time.

"Let's go!" Tess said with her usual perky tone. She lead Tuya out of the saloon and said short good byes to Sig. They walked down the port area's wide sidewalk to the training place because it was so nearby to them. Tuya noticed that most Elves saw her short ears and gave stares. It was like they had never really seen a Human before.

Tuya's new world was very different back to her life in America. School was very different. Tess said that most Elf kids don't go to school and just get trained by a relative or friend if they wanted to do that job the rest of their life. Schools were only for kids that could not be watched over all the time by parents and the kid did know what he or she wanted to do for their live. While back in America a kid's whole childhood and teenage years were all centered around school and was not taken so lightly as this new place.

"We're here," Tess said to Tuya and knocked her out of daydreaming. The automatic door swooshed open as they came up to it. Torn was already inside the small metal room leaning against the wall in a cool and relaxed manor. He looked up at them coming in and gave the two a grim smile as he always did. Mozart was circling at his feet, and the guy completely ignored the creature.

"First day of real training," Torn said while Tess took a seat in a corner of the room to watch. The room was a little smaller than the Hip Hog with metal walls, floor, and ceiling. A few lights were on the ceiling that cast a yellow glow to the place. Two doors lead to different places unknown. A red punching bag hung to the other side of the room with a few Krimson Guard boxes with ammo in them.

"First things first," Torn said while standing up straight and tall. Automatically Tuya did the same in silence. "You're too shy," he said while walking over to her. He made eye contact with her, but she dropped her gaze quickly and looked to the floor. "You need to toughen up. Now, I want you to hit me."

Tuya looked up at him with a smile on her face thinking that he was only joking. "Again," she said with a giggle.

"Hit me," Torn said with a nod. "Take your best shot." Tuya giggled and shook her head to say no. Torn saw that she was not taking things serious. "Then if you won't hit me then try to block me." In a flash he grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her. He then shoved her against the wall and pinned her there.

Tuya was in a daze. It had happened so fast. Torn was going light on her, so he did not hold onto her tight. She tried to wiggle free from his grip, but he kept her pinned there with a small smirk on his face.

"Think, Tuya," Torn said to her while still keeping her there. "You can do many things to get out of this simple hold. You're a fast learner. I'm doing this to force you to think differently. Now get out of the hold on your own."

Tuya slammed her foot down on Torn's foot then shoved him backwards. He backed off of her to let the girl prepare for another attack. "Good," he said. "Always be thinking to yourself, 'What do I have open?' But you need to know how to block attacks as well. Try this one."

Torn threw a punch at Tuya. She ducked just in time. He nodded his head while watching her carefully. "You still need to know how to fight back. Now hit me."

"No," Tuya said. She was good-natured and did not like to hurt things unless it was out of self-defense. She had to be very angry to attack anyone. She just stood in front of Torn shaking her head.

"You're a wimp!" Torn said in a disgusted tone. He looked angry to Tuya, but really he was pretending it to get her wild up. "You will never make it in this city. Now hit me!" Tuya looked down to the ground with a spark of deep anger springing into her body. She did not like being a wimp. He had hit a nerve.

"You're a wimp, Tuya!" he yelled into her face. "Everyone will look down on you and pity you." Pity. That was one thing Tuya hated. Torn saw her eyes flash red. The Elf suddenly realized that her eyes did that when she was feeling of deep emotion. "HIT ME!" he yelled to finally make her snap.

Something strange happened to Tuya for a few seconds. It felt like another part of her had broken free. She felt different inside of her. But it was a nice feeling as if the real her was coming out.

BAM!

Tuya was back to her normal self again. She looked up at Torn and bit her lower lip. He stood there in total shock while holding onto his nose. He was wincing. What had she done?

"Wow," he said with a chuckle. "I think I got what was coming to me. She can really pack a punch!"

"What I do?" Tuya said with worry in her voice. She glanced over to Tess, but the girl only stared at Tuya with wide eyes of surprise. The Human girl was dying to know what she had done. She did not want to hurt Torn ever again after this.

"Nothing big," Torn said while removing his hands from his nose. It was bleeding a little and was puffing up. Tuya winced when she saw it start to swell up some more. "I just need some ice."

"Did you see that?" Tess yelled while getting up from the floor in a hurry. "Her whole arm changed!" Tess pointed to Tuya while running over to them. "Her arm turned red right before she hit you. I saw it!"

Torn and Tuya looked over to her with confusion. What was the girl talking about?

A/N: I'm really sorry for the short chapter. I had a bit of a Writer's Block, and I wanted this chapter to end as a cliffhanger kind of. This was the best I could muster. Next chapter will be of Jak. I'm wrapping this fan fic up and getting ready for my sequel and I'm making a Jak2 fan fic and Teen Titans one put together. And if anyone of you like Avatar I have a fan fiction out of it. It is new! But please give a review! Sorry for not answering reviews.


	33. Chapter 33 Jak Meets Merlander

A/N: I'm extremely sorry for not updating in a really long time! I got writer's block at the worst of times and it took me forever to get through it. But I'm back now, so here is your Jak chapter! I really hope you like it. It took around a month of writer's block to think it through.

Daxter: "Yeah. It took you long enough!"

Pix: "I said I was sorry! What more do you want, Dax?"

Daxter: "Ice cream."

Pix: "Um…no! What am I? Your slave?"

Daxter: "Yes."

Pix: glaring at Daxter while steaming. "Just say the stupid disclaimer."

Daxter: "Pix does not own anything from Jak2 even though she might want to. How was that, Pix?"

Pix: monotone "Beautiful, Dax."

Daxter: "And please give a review even though Pix has been a mean writer and has not updated this fic in two months."

Pix: sarcastically "I love you too, Daxter."

Daxter: "I know! Everyone loves me!"

Pix: "Speak for yourself."

Chapter 33

Quickly as they all could, the three dodged the sharp jaws of the Metal Head lunging at them. Tubal thought fast and pulled out the pistol Jak had stolen and shot the Metal Head a few times. The monster fell to the ground and Jak saw the creature's black and sticky blood soak the soft ground under it. The skull gem kept glowing and the faces of the friends were dimly lit by it.

"Is everyone okay?" Tubal asked the team after giving a sigh of relief.

"I'm fine," Nea said and they both looked to Jak and saw him nod his head stiffly. He had never seen one of these creatures before. Nothing this evil looking lived in his world. It just showed him how far away he was from getting back home.

"It looks like we are not out of here yet," Tubal muttered. "Look." He pointed to someplace deeper in the jungle. At first Jak could not see anything, but then he saw the faint yellow glow of other skull gems that looked like lanterns wondering around the dark maze of jungle plants. There were around twenty of them. This was a whole army of Metal Heads!

"Run!" Nea whispered to them while pointing to where the entrance of the Fort was. A road would be there that lead to Haven City. The group took off in a sprint toward the entrance. Suddenly a Metal Head popped up right behind them and started to run after them. Jak was in the rear of the group and freaked when he saw the monster chasing them.

"Faster!" Jak thought to himself while glancing back at the Metal Head. The creature's mouth was open and saliva dripped down to the ground as its eyes pinned on its prey. Jak pushed Tubal who was in front of him to move faster.

"AH!" Tubal screamed as he looked back to see why Jak was pushing him. "Faster, Nea! We have a problem back here!" Nea did not need to look behind her. She picked up the pace and Jak barely escaped the jaws of the Metal Head. With wide eyes of fright, Jak saw more Metal Heads climb the wall to the Fort. They had picked the night to escape on the same night the Metal Heads planned an attack on the Fort. Fate was just not one their side.

As they neared the entrance of the Fort, the three heard yells of different people. At least the Metal Head was not chasing them anymore. They rounded the corner and saw that everyone was escaping through the front double doors that lead to the road back to Haven City. Giant zoomers with large wooden wagons were lined up outside these doors, and everyone was jumping on to get away from the Fort.

"Blend in," Tubal whispered to both Elves next to him. "If not, we are never getting out of here." They all nodded in agreement, but defeat was in their eyes and hearts. They were not free yet. The thought tore down their hope.

The three walked into the crowd of Elves and got onto a wagon next to each other like they were with everyone else this whole time. Jak sat on the edge of the wagon with Tubal and Nea behind him. A Krimson Guard sat next to Jak and that was the last person to get on. The wagon hovered into the air and started to fly down the road. They were all safe from the attack of Metal Heads.

"Move faster!" yelled Devo from the zoomer he was on that was right next to wagon Jak was on. "The Metal Heads will come after us if they know there is a chance." The zoomers picked up the pace and Jak was jolted forward. He almost fell off the side, but he had almost perfect balance and stayed on.

"We can finally say goodbye to this hell," someone muttered as they all watched the Fort burst into flames. They all saw Metal Heads destroying everything in there. They were happy to see their dreams come true, but they all kept silent. Jak was deep in thought as he stared at the only home he knew of in this new world. Was this a good or bad thing? Would this world get any better? It seemed almost impossible.

"Stop!"

The yell had been faint but Jak had heard it somehow. He squinted to see the small figure running after the wagon. Metal Heads were following this person. The person got larger and Jak almost gasped in surprise. It was the little girl from when Jak had stolen the pills for Tubal. She must have been forgotten.

Jak pulled on Tubal's arm and pointed out at the little girl trying her very best to catch up with the wagon. It took a while for the Elf to see her. When he did see her and yelled, "Stop! Someone was left behind! A little girl!"

"We will not stop!" Devo yelled back at Tubal. He looked over to him and spotted Jak beside the man who had spoken up. The mean glare he gave Jak made Tubal mad.

"But she is a little girl!" he yelled. "You can't leave her behind!"

From what Jak could recall, the girl was Devo's niece. Some uncle he was! Devo then yelled with no hesitation, "I can and I will. Watch me!" And they kept moving away from the Fort and the girl.

Jak's anger was burning inside of him. He closed his eyes while trying to calm himself down. Everything was swelling up in him. They took him from his peaceful life on Sandover Village to this dreadful place. They broke him down by treating him like a slave. They tortured him relentlessly. He was bruised and scared for life with unwanted memories.

They could take away his innocence, but that did not mean he could not tell from right and wrong. And this act was totally wrong! Someone had to do something about it. Jak realized it had to be him.

"Kid, are you okay?" Nea's quiet and calm voice asked him as he felt her hand touch his bare shoulder.

Jak suddenly opened his eyes that showed a deep darkness to them. He looked ahead then grabbed the gun out of the Krimson Guard's hands that was sitting next to him. He jumped off the wagon without looking behind. Protests sounded out behind him.

Devo looked behind him to see what all the yelling was about. He spotted Jak running away from the wagon toward his niece who would only slow everyone down. "Stop him!" he yelled. "We can not lose him!"

"But he is too far away now!" someone said and Devo realized that all they could do was carry on.

Jak kept running at full speed toward the little girl. When he got close he could tell that she was crying her heart out, but was still running forward in an endless fight to get away from the Metal Heads closing the gap between them and her.

Jak was no longer angry. He had switched into hero and survival mode. He ran up to the little girl and swept her gently into his strong arms while still holding onto the gun. She gasped and said with astonishment in her voice, "Bob?"

Strange name, but right now Jak kind of liked it. He held her with one arm and balanced her small figure on his hip while running back to the wagon now. It was worth it to see the look she gave him. She was putting all her faith into him. He looked back to the wagon far away with determination in his deep blue eyes.

Jak looked down to the little girl with a small smile on his lips. She smiled back then gave him a hug to say her thanks. But they were not out of the danger yet. He put her on his back as if he was giving her a piggyback ride. He held the gun in both hands now and glanced behind him to see many Metal Heads close behind.

Jak cocked the gun then turned around and took two second aims before shooting. He had no experience with a gun. The only time he had used something similar to one had been a cannon to take metal boxes, but that was nothing compared to a gun. It seemed as if the teen was a natural, though. He managed to take the few Metal Heads in the front before he ran out of ammo.

Jak then sprinted for the wagon as if the devil himself was behind him. The girl hung on for dear life, but was silent from fear or just had nothing to say. Jak finally could make out the people on the wagon. Nea and Tubal were staring at him with wide eyes.

"Move, people!" Tubal shouted to make some room for him to stand up with Nea. "Faster, kid! You can make it!"

Jak stumbled a little on the rocky road, and the people on the wagon gave short gasps. Jak quickly picked himself up and pushed forward while gritting his teeth together. His legs felt like rubber, and he could barely breathe. But he would not give up.

"Come on, kid!" Nea yelled. "Almost there!" This got other people to cheer for Jak. Shouts of encouragement sounded from the Elves watching the teen. Jak could now see Tubal and Nea's faces clearly. They were both so worried.

Jak pulled the girl off his back and held her up for Tubal to grab. Tubal stretched his arms out for her. He finally grabbed her, but almost fell because the wagon had hit a bump. He gave a sharp yell, and Nea pulled him backward to safety.

"Thanks," he muttered while handing the girl over to Nea. "Now for the kid." Tubal then stretched his hand out for Jak to grab. Nea held onto the little girl who was now crying hard again because of relief. Nea tried to comfort her.

"Come on, kid," Tubal said quietly as their fingers almost touched. Jak tried hard to make it, but he could not make his feet move anymore. He stumbled a little and could see the pain in both his friends' faces. "Try, kid," Tubal pleaded.

This made Jak have one last burst of energy. He lunged forward and managed to grab Tubal's out stretched hand. Tubal gave him a big grin and pulled him up to the wagon. The whole wagon cheered to see the kid survive. Jak laid down on the wooden floor while gasping for air. He closed his eyes as relief swept over his body.

"That was awesome!" many people shouted along with other expressions of amazement. Tubal and Nea sat next to Jak the rest of the trip to Haven City. The little girl wanted to sit in Jak's lap the whole time and talked nonstop. This did not seem to bug Jak. She was cute once you got to know her. For some reason she seemed kind of similar. The thought was quickly thrown away when they entered Haven City.

The first thing Jak noticed was the smell. It was not like the clean fresh air of the jungle. It was musty and full of pollution. It started to make a few Elves cough. It was also cold. In the jungle it was the same all year long with hot temperatures. Haven City was just getting into the fall and it was cold at night.

"Say hi to Haven City, kid," Tubal muttered over to Jak. "You will learn to love it."

"What makes you think he did not live here before he was captured?" Nea asked Tubal.

"He was tanned before he came to the Fort," Tubal said with an easygoing shrug. "In Haven City you don't get much of a tan." Jak nodded to back up his friend. He was new to the city. To tell the truth, he had never seen a city like this. It looked to be something out of the future or something. Many high tech zoomers flew around and buildings were everywhere. It was so new to Jak.

"I have a bad feeling that we will be experimented on by the Baron," Nea said quietly so only the three of them could hear. The little girl had fallen asleep in Jak's lap, so they did not worry about her. "Remember when they first caught me? They pumped dark eco in my body for a few days then sent me off to the Fort."

"Yeah," Tubal said. "They did the same thing to me." Jak nodded and pointed to himself to say that the Baron had done the same to him. Once Tubal knew that the three of them had the same thing done to them he caught on. "You don't think…"

"They want to see what will happen if we have dark eco in us," Nea said in deep thought. "They will keep putting the stuff through our bodies till they see results! I knew we were in big trouble. We should have stayed with all those Metal Heads back at the Fort."

"It will be okay," Tubal tried to encourage his team. "I hope," he added to himself quietly but Jak still heard him and it struck some bit of fear in him. Then they stopped at the prison.

* * *

Merlander had been with the Baron for a month or two now. He spent most of his time in the prison. The Baron had been pumping every kind of eco in him besides light and dark. He hated to be a test subject for the guy. It was not that painful, but it was just the thought that he was under the man's control that killed him so much inside.

Merlander was mopping up the metal floor in the torture room when he felt someone come into his mind and look around. It was Simon. Ever since the guy took a look into his head a few months back the guy had complete control over Merlander's head. It was open all the time to him.

Sure enough, the door opened and in came the man with much confidence in each step. Merlander glared at him then looked back down to the floor without saying anything. Simon stopped in the middle of the room with confusion sweeping over his face. The only sound to be heard was the slosh of water in the bucket as Merlander kept going on with his work.

"I hate to be pulling you away from your work, Merlander," Simon finally said while walking over to him. "But I need for you to do me a favor."

Merlander looked up at the man with his face showing no expression. Lately Merlander was noticing that he was acting more emotionless everyday. If he had any emotion it would be anger or lonely. No one talked to him and he said nothing all day. He missed Roxie, Daxter, and his team. They put some color in his life. Roxie was always bubbly and Daxter was loud and out there. They always put a spark to everything. But they were dead by now.

"What do you need?" Merlander asked Simon. He started to mop again, and the dirty wet part got all over Simon's shoes. "Opps. My bad," Merlander said while giving Simon a small smile. "I should be more careful next time."

"Funny," Simon said while picking his foot up with a disgusted look on his face. "I really do enjoy seeing you clean up this dump. Now I need you to take me to a cell. The Baron has asked me to look into someone's head to see if the tests are working on him."

Merlander stood there staring at Simon for a few silent seconds. "One second," he finally said while picking up the bucket and moving it over to a corner. "What's his name?"

"Jak," Simon said. Merlander paused while setting the bucket down. Simon read his mind and smiled. "You know him, don't you?"

"I had a friend who knew him well," Merlander mumbled while walking past the man.

"That rat is still alive, you know?" Simon said while reading Merlander's head again to know whom the friend was. "He is still with that Roxie girl you love so much. But they will not be rescuing you any time soon. They are in hiding."

"Always have to hang onto a bit of hope," Merlander said while expressing a weak smile. When was the last time he smiled? It seemed like a lifetime ago. He hopped onto a small moving platform and started it up. Simon studied the boy before walking onto the platform himself.

"It looks like you lost all hope already," Simon said as the small scrap of metal started to go down like an elevator.

"You can thank the Baron for that," Merlander muttered under his breath. He pressed a button on the control panel and the platform suddenly dropped a few feet. Simon gave short scream out of surprise and the platform stopped. Merlander hid a grin behind a hand.

"Don't do that again!" Simon yelled at him. "Almost gave me a heart attack!"

"That was what I was aiming for," Merlander said. He could give small blows sometimes by doing things like this. It was the only way to express some personality. Simon gave him a dirty glare because he could hear Merlander laugh in his head.

They came up to a prison cell with someone in it. The teen was sitting on the cold floor in the cramped space with his head resting against the wall. The boy's eyes were closed and he was shaking slightly because of the cold or he had just been tested on. He opened his eyes as Simon took out his security pass to open the door to the cell.

Merlander and Jak made eye contact. It seemed as if Jak knew who Merlander was. Merlander gave him a nod and stayed silent. He leaned his back against the opposite wall Jak was leaning against. Simon looked back and forth from the two.

"Are you Jak?" Simon asked the other Elf.

"He's mute," Merlander said while crossing his arms in front of him. "I'm guessing you never read the test subject's folders." Jak stared at Merlander then nodded to agree with him.

"Okay then," Simon said while glaring at Merlander. "I'm here to look into your mind, Jak. I need to see if the testing is doing anything in there. The Baron says that he is not seeing any change in your body when he pumps dark ego in you."

"How can you tell if it is working by looking into his head?" Merlander asked Simon.

Simon looked at Merlander strangely then returned the question for one of his own. "Why do ask such a question?" Merlander shrugged. "I will see dark thoughts if it is working," Simon finally answered.

Simon put a hand on Jak's forehead and closed his eyes. Merlander bit his lower lip to try not to burst out. He remembered when Simon did this to him. Too memories had overwhelmed him. Right now he did not want Simon to do the same to Jak. Emotions were swimming all around in him.

Simon opened one eye and looked over to Merlander. "Calm yourself, Merlander," he said. "If you can't handle this then please leave." Merlander nodded and stayed. He closed his eyes and tried not to think of anything.

"Ouch!" Simon yelled while stepping away from Jak while holding his head in pain. "I can't read anything." Merlander opened his eyes. Jak smiled a little then winked at Merlander. Merlander smiled back then dropped it when Simon opened his eyes. "I have to go," he said while stepping out of the cell and onto the platform. Merlander nodded and followed.

Once Simon left and Merlander did not have the feeling that someone was in his head, he flew back down to Jak's cell and said, "What did you do to him? That was awesome! I wish I could hurt him like that."

Jak got up off the floor and shrugged to say that he did not know. He tilted his head to the side and mouthed the name Merlander.

"Yeah, that's me," Merlander said with a nod. "I'm the one who tried to get you out of the Fort. It did not work out all that great. That was before I was made into the Baron's slave." Jak gave him a confused look to ask him how. "I'm being tested with different eco. It is working, so I have a small bit of eco in my body. You must have a lot of dark eco in yours."

Jak nodded with a wince. The testing was painful and it was the only time Jak could express something. He could scream and yell all he wanted. Merlander nodded to show that he understood. His kind of testing was not as painful, but he had seen others get dark eco pumped into them. It was painful to watch.

"I have a some encouragement for you, Jak," Merlander said with a smile. "Daxter is out there looking for you. If I ever get out of here before you I'll tell him how to get you out. I have a feeling that you will get out of here someday. There is something about you that is different."

Jak's eyes brightened at the mention of Daxter. He smiled and saw that Merlander was smiling too. Merlander quickly looked up then said, "I have to get back to work! I'll check on you some time tomorrow." With that said, Merlander pressed a button on the control panel and he was gone.

A/N: Sorry if the chapter sucked. I was pushing through my writer's block. When I do it by force sometimes the chapters suck really bad. But the next chapter is with Roxie and Daxter. I'm back to working on this fic! I finally put my foot down and said that I was not going to update my Teen Titans fic till I put up this chapter. So now that this chapter is finally done I can't wait to jump back onto my Teen Titans one. But sorry for not updating in a long time! But please give a review! Thanks!


	34. Chapter 34 The Baron's First Test

A/N: I have a reason for not updating in a long time. Distracted by another fic, had work from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and I did not want to type this chapter. Character death is hard! First time I'm doing it and I'm about to cry for the loss of my character. It is at the very end of this chapter. Okay, I can do this. To make it up to you guys I made this chapter as long as I could make it. Enjoy…err…I should just say read. Sadness at the end of chapter.

Disclaimer: I bought it. I played it. I loved it. But I don't own it.

Chapter 34

"How do I look, boys?" Roxie asked Akki and Daxter while coming out of the dressing room. She had changed from teen to adult by the help of the green eco crystal. She totally changed how she looked on the outside in adult form. Curly blond hair came past her shoulders and she wore a cute spring pink skirt with a baby blue top.

"I kind of miss the pirate hat," Daxter said while looking her over with a smile.

"Are you kidding?" Akki asked Daxter. "She is so hott!"

Roxie gave them a sweet smile then flipped her hair back. She then frowned and said, "I really hate acting prep. It is so annoying!" She gave the two boys a pitiful look.

Daxter rolled his eyes. "I hate to burst your bathtub bubbles, princess, but you have to be this if you want to fool that stupid Krimson Guard." Roxie stuck out her lower lip and it seemed as if she was going to cry. Akki and Daxter shook their heads at her. "Okay, your fake date with egodork starts in only a few minutes," Daxter said while hopping up to her shoulder as they left the store.

"Daxter!" Roxie whined. "Do I really have to do this? I feel like an idiot!" They walked down the sidewalk in the port area and some guy heads were turned in her direction. She did not notice, but Akki was starting to get a bit nervous. For months they had to hide from stares. Now they were getting so much attention it freaked him out.

"Look," Daxter said firmly to her. "You sit down with him. You talk for a few minutes. Akki starts distracting the dude. I pickpocket him. You leave quickly and say that you had to be somewhere. It is that simple. We will always be there to back you up if something goes wrong. Plus, you know how to deal with things yourself."

"Fine," Roxie muttered. "What is his name again?"

Daxter paused to think for a second. "Um…" he said while his ears fell down. "I don't remember."

"Geez!" Akki said. "You're as bad as Roxie! His name is Frank!"

"I knew that," Daxter hissed down to him because Roxie was so tall he had to look down at Akki. "I was just testing you! So this Frank dude should have his security pass for the palace. Once we have that we can get Merlander and the rest of Black Water."

"Easy!" Roxie said while perking up suddenly.

"Wrong!" Akki snapped back.

"Wrong?" Roxie asked him while her shoulders dropped in disappointment.

"What are we going to do once we get into the palace, genius?" Akki asked them.

"We will make it up as we go," Roxie guessed. "I have no idea! Stop asking me all these hard questions!"

"He's right," Daxter said. "I never thought about it."

"We can think about it later," Roxie said. "I have a date right now." Daxter nodded and jumped down to Akki's shoulder as Roxie walked ahead of them. She almost fell as she walked over to the outside café. She was not used to walking on heels. "Oh, ouch!" she muttered while flaring her arms around to keep herself up. "I'm okay!" she said while standing up properly.

"We are so dead," Daxter said to Akki while watching Roxie almost fall.

"No kidding," Akki said while wincing.

"Now go, kid," Daxter said to Akki. "I have more faith in you than her. She scares me too much."

"I have to agree with you there, Dax," Akki said with a small smile. "Sorry I've been acting strange for the past few days," he said with a sigh. "It is just that this is important. It should not be taken lightly."

"Whatever you say, kid," Daxter said with a wink. "Now knock 'em dead!" Akki shook his head with a sigh while walking away from Daxter.

"You must be…Frank," Roxie said while almost forgetting the dude's name. Frank was your typical Krimson Guard. He had short brown hair with dull blue eyes. He was smaller than most Krimson Guards, but was pretty much the same as the others. He swore too much for Roxie's liking and was not the brightest person. Not to mention he was totally in love with himself.

"Yes," Frank said with a crooked smile while spotting Roxie. "You must be Lola."

"No," Roxie said while forgetting that Lola was her codename. She then realized her mistake and said nervously, "I mean, my whole name is Lolamolajola. But you can just call me Lola." She bit her lower lip while sitting across from Frank. The guy gave her a strange look then shrugged it off.

"So where do you work?" Roxie finally asked him with a weak smile. She already knew that he was a Krimson Guard because of all the tattoos he had on his face and arms. She just wanted to break the odd silence.

"I work as Krimson Guard," Frank bragged. "It is a great life. Erol is a bit strict, though. It seems as if he always has a wedgie."

Roxie burst out laughing at how he described Erol. "You're funny," she said with a forced girly giggle.

"I know," Frank said. He picked up a spoon and looked himself over in it. Roxie stared at him. The guy was a total ego freak like Erol. She wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Oh my gosh!" Roxie heard someone yell really loud. She turned around and saw Akki down the street. "Someone stool my security pass! NO! I won't be able to go anywhere now!"

"Ha!" Frank laughed. "Stupid boy. You always have to know where you put your pass. Good thing I always put it in my back pocket." He patted his butt to show Roxie where it was.

"Yeah," she said with a smile. "I like always like put it in my cute purse! I was wondering if they would make any passes that came in the color pink because they would be like so cool and cute that way. But the people said no and gave me a gross dark blue one. It is not a spring color!"

As Roxie was ranting on about the color of security passes, Daxter was pick-pocketing Frank. He grabbed the red Krimson Guard pass with ease and smiled wickedly. He then took off to where Akki was waiting for him.

"Score!" Daxter said while handing the pass over to Akki. "Too easy!"

"You know what, Frank, I really have to go," Roxie said while standing up.

"Wait! Don't go, Lola!" he said quickly. "I like the color pink!"

Roxie stared at him for a few seconds. She then flipped her long blond hair back while putting her nose in the air. "You, Frank," she said. "Are a complete waste of time! You're an ego freak that most likely does not know the difference between pink and red even if your life depended on it! And you're not funny. I was just saying that to be nice." She then walked away with a smile on her face and left poor Frank there in a confused mess.

Akki and Daxter stared at her silently as she walked up to them with that sly smile still on her face. She passed them with a wink and the boys quickly followed her with their eyes still wide with surprise of what she had said to get away from Frank.

"Can I change back into normal mode?" she asked Daxter as they rushed to catch up with her. "These heels are KILLING me!" As if one Q, the girl fell and held onto Akki to keep herself from going all the way to her butt. Akki let out a small yell of surprise while leaning back. They all ended up on their butts. Everyone passing by gave them strange looks.

"No more heels for you!" Daxter shouted at her while getting up. He dusted himself off while saying, "You're not the most graceful person."

"What is your problem?" Akki asked Roxie while glaring at her. He got to his feet while rubbing the back of his head that had hit the sidewalk.

"Should she name only one, or do you want all of them?" Daxter asked him. (A/N: Thanks Nate for that awesome quote!) "If you want the later of the two it will take a long time to name all of them."

"I am graceful," Roxie said while still sitting on her butt. The two boys laughed at her.

"You can't even drive a zoomer straight," Daxter said. This only got him a cold glare from the girl. "Sorry," he said while backing up. "I'm just stating the facts."

"Let's just go before you two tear each other apart," Akki said.

* * *

_Whack!_

He had been distracted and had not seen that strong punch from the Krimson Guard he was battling with. He fell onto his back with a small grunt of frustration for his stupidity. His violet eyes looked up just in time to see the Krimson Guard in a flying kick aimed for his head. He quickly rolled to the side and did a few back flips to gather his senses and to steal that glance to the person who had walked into the room and had distracted him in the first place.

Merlander was training. But for what? He did not know why he was forced everyday to defeat another Krimson Guard one on one in combat. They were all the same and easy to beat. Sometimes he did not want to fight, but the new wristband he got when entering the battle room always did something to him. It would give him an urge and a strong desire to hit someone. He hated it.

The hard eyes of the Baron were pinned on him. The feeling was nerve racking to Merlander. He only came into the battle room when Merlander was there when he wanted to lecture while they both went at it with each other. What had he done this time?

It must have been that failed escape plan last night. He had somehow gotten to the kitchen that night and got his hands on a fork. He was in the middle of taking his wristband off piece by piece when his little sister came in for a midnight snack. His family now lived in the palace due to safety reasons. The Underground was getting strong.

Well, you pretty much can guess what happened when Berry came in for a cookie and saw her big brother there on the counter picking at his wristband with a fork in the dead of night. There was a scream loud enough for the whole palace to hear. He could have strangled her for that, but the wristband prevented him from getting too angry. He had to be calm to have everything normal.

"Enough," the Baron shouted to the Krimson Guard. "You can leave." The guy said nothing as he left the room while holding onto his left shoulder where Merlander had hit him hard. The teen stood in the middle of the room breathing hard from the three-hour training. By this time he was worn out, and the Baron knew it all too well.

The Baron walked calmly up to Merlander, and to the prisoner's surprise, he took off the hated wristband. Merlander gave him a strange look as the man walked a few yards away from him. They faced each other in silence. Merlander waited for his uncle to say something first.

"You must be wondering why I took it off," the man finally said. He did not expect Merlander to answer and did not wait for one. "I did it because I want to see you fight for yourself. And you have all the basic eco colors in you. I want to see you use these new powers for now on. Most likely you don't know how to use them."

"I already know how to use them," Merlander said while throwing a yellow fireball at the man out of anger. The last meeting like this the Baron had told Merlander how he got these powers. Most egos are gone, so he got it from different people who had it in their bodies somehow. He had been collecting Elves with the ego powers so he could suck it out of them and put it in another body so that new person had amplified power.

Praxis just stepped to the side calmly with a smile on his face. "That one is triggered by anger," he said. "What about the others, Merlander? Know how to use them through different emotions?"

"Red is pride. Blue is fear. Green is happiness," Merlander quickly answered before his uncle could name them off slowly to him as if he was only a child. "I lived with people with ego in their bodies for a few years. I know what emotions make them use more power. You don't have to lecture me."

"Then this will be interesting," Praxis said. "I'm sorry to say that I will not be training with you tonight. I'm letting an old friend of yours take care of that for me."

Merlander's heart sunk because he had already felt the man's presence before he saw him. His new teacher would be Simon. He watched as the man came into the room, and the Baron switched places with him. Now it was only Merlander and Simon in the room.

"Merlander," Simon said calmly with a nod. At the same time he had spoken into the teen's mind.

"Hey! No!" Merlander said while shaking his head angrily. "No more going in there!" His eyes went wide as his hands started to glow yellow as if they were on fire. Without a wristband his emotions could run free and this meant he could use his ego powers easily.

This freaked Merlander out a little and suddenly the yellow ego was gone and blue lightning bolts started to spark around his body. Man, these powers were hard to control! He quickly cleared his mind, and the ego was gone. If he stayed focused he could control them.

"They are hard to control, aren't they?" Simon asked him with his one eyebrow raising slightly.

"Emotions are always hard to control," Merlander said back with his voice just as calm. "Our whole life is wrapped up into them. You can't take revenge without anger. You can't kiss without love. You can't laugh without gladness. You can't cry without sadness."

"True," Simon said with a small nod of agreement. "But I'm going to teach you how to hold all those useless things inside of you until the right time. You will notice that it will be hard to bring up different emotions to use a certain ego power. For example." He quickly took out a knife from behind him and threw it skillfully at Merlander.

With a sharp cry of alarm, Merlander tried to get out of the way. He was too late and had the thing cut into his side. He gave a small yell as pain exploded into his wounded side. Blood ran down his hand that he pressed there. He looked up at Simon and his hands started to glow yellow.

"Wrong emotion, Merlander," Simon said while standing next to him. "I told you this would be hard. Now how are you going to heal yourself when you're using the wrong ego power? Anger will not get you anywhere right now."

Merlander closed his eyes with a wince of another wave of pain. He used his photographic memory to pick out a happy feeling. He smiled slightly when he remembered when Roxie and Daxter tried to bake something for him one day. Of course they pretty much blew up the kitchen when he got to their home, but just seeing their goofy smiling faces covered with flour and junk had made him love them all the same.

This memory seemed to work because when he opened his eyes his whole body was glowing a brilliant green just like he had seen Roxie do sometimes. In only the matter of seconds, the teen was back on his feet again.

"How sweet," Simon said coldly to him. "It makes me want to cry." He had seen the memory as clearly as Merlander had seen it.

Merlander was surprised at how quick he was to come back at him. "I bet you never had a good memory to hang onto, Simon. It would shock me if you did have one." Without the wristband he felt more free with what he felt. When he did have it on he had be calm all the time or depressed. For the first time in months he felt like he could feel something.

There was a sharp pain in Merlander's head and he gave a small wince. "What was that for?" he asked Simon while backing away and holding onto his head.

"Just because you have that wristband off does not mean you are free," Simon said sternly to him.

"I'm close to being free," Merlander said with a sly smile. "I can feel whatever I want."

Simon rolled his eyes with a sigh. "I hate to have all your emotions and happy thoughts spring into my head randomly," he said. "I'm suffering too with this close connection with your mind. You never sleep."

"I do it just for you," Merlander said to him with a smile. He did not know how his insomnia effected Simon, but seeing him suffer somehow made him happy.

"I feel loved," Simon said sarcastically. Being with Merlander so much he picked up on his sarcastic humor and used it sometimes. He never really wanted to go open Merlander's mind to his, but the Baron had wanted it. Now, he had to feel what Merlander felt and heard almost his every thought when they were close by. But for some reason the two had a strange bond. Simon was the only one who knew Merlander. The two could stand each other…to a degree.

"Let's try red and blue ego now," Simon said while going back into teacher mode. "You know how to use yellow and green. You must pull up memories to get these emotions right. Some would have trouble doing this, but you have a lot of passion. A memory is enough to trigger the right emotions."

Merlander thought of a time when he had kicked Erol's butt in a zoomer race when they were kids. He smiled when his body burst into a red glow. He guessed he was too happy because the color changed to green. He frowned and had to hold onto a pride feeling to change back.

Simon chuckled at him. Merlander gave him a dirty glare. So he was not the greatest at controlling his new powers. He did not care. Then Merlander realized that Simon had been chuckling a little because he had seen that memory.

"I'm eager to see what memory of fear you use," Simon then said with a wicked smile.

Merlander paused for a few seconds. "You've already seen all of them," he finally said with confusion.

"I saw a few of the ones when you were young," he said. "But not all of them."

Merlander shrugged then thought of darkness. Yes, he was scared of the dark. But this was a different kind of darkness. When he was a kid, a Wasteland Metal Head had attacked him. (The really big ones!) He had been riding one of the dun buggies and had been knocked off course by one of the Metal Heads and had gone into a coma for a few days. One of the most scariest things.

Blue sparks flew up around the teen. Simon nodded with a small smile on his face. The kid was learning fast with these new powers. Of course, the man had expected it from Merlander. He was quick. He might not be as smart as some, but he knew how to react with stunning speed.

Suddenly an alarm went off. A red light flashed around the room as the sound blasted into their ears so loud it made both cringe. This had only happened once when the Underground had tried to get into the palace. But they were in the prison. A surge of hope came upon Merlander's heart.

"You are foolish to think it is them," Simon snapped at him with his eyes narrowing at the teen. Once again, he had heard all the teen's thoughts as clearly as his own. It was driving Merlander out of his mind. Simon grabbed Merlander's shoulder and swiftly moved him toward the door to the room. At the door, a quick guard snapped Merlander's normal wristband on him. The Elf did not look all too pleased to be a captive once again.

The two walked down the different hallways of the prison. Simon had the usual calm and relaxed air around him while Merlander looked nervous. He kept looking down the hallways they past with little hope that he would spot his friends. Simon glanced back at him with a cold glare.

_Calm down, Merlander,_ the Mind Speaker thought to the teen. _"You might be used to the pain of the wristband, but I'm not."_

Merlander raised an eyebrow at him and thought to himself, knowing Simon would hear it,_ "So you can feel what I feel? Cool!"_

"_Don't be so childish,"_ Simon's harsh voice echoed around in Merlander's head. The teen smiled and earned himself another cold glare from the man ahead of him.

They both had to pull on the brakes when a small object came bouncing down the hallway next to them. Simon and Merlander leaned over a little to see what the thing was. Merlander recognized it right away and ran for cover while shouting, "Hit the deck!"

Boom! The dice exploded and Simon was thrown into a wall while Merlander rolled down the hall with a wince as a wave of heat blew over him. She must have updated those things. Smoke filled the small hallway, and both Elves started to cough as the stuff filled their lungs.

"All right, people!" a voice shouted loudly to Merlander and Simon. "I want to see some I.D.!"

"Shut up, Dax!" another voice shouted to the first. "We don't want to see their freaking I.D."

"I just had to say it," Daxter said, and this was followed by the sound of Akki giving a small chuckle. Merlander could not help but do the same. Leave it to Daxter to screw the serious act up.

"I guess my stupid hopes were right," Merlander said to Simon with a sly smile planted on his face.

"Shut up," Simon snapped at him. "They still don't know where we are through all this smoke. Keep quiet and follow me." There was a pause as Simon read Merlander's mind. There was a quick "Don't you dare!" from Simon's mind and mouth as he frowned at him.

"ROXIE!" Merlander shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Mer!" all three somewhere in the cloud of thick smoke said at once.

Simon was gone. For a second he was there, and in a flash he had vanished in the smoke. Merlander looked around and could not see a sign of him. Suddenly there was a scream and a thump as if someone had dropped to the floor.

"What the heck did you do to her?" Daxter yelled angrily at someone.

"Roxie?" Merlander said more quietly this time. "What is going on?"

A little too late, the smoke alarm went off and sent a giant spray of water onto the people there trying to figure out what was going on. In seconds, the small party was drenched from head to foot. Merlander's spiky blonde hair hung into his wide eyes of worry. What had happened to Roxie?

The smoke cleared quickly because of the water. Merlander saw Akki kneeling next to the limp body of Roxie. Daxter spotted Merlander right away and looked a bit freaked. "Look out!" he shouted while pointing behind him.

Merlander was too late. He spun around with dread and came face to face with the barrel of Simon's gun that he had kept hidden for protection. Merlander's heart was now beating too fast, and the pain in his wristband was making him wince. "Oh…crap," he muttered while backing up a little.

"What did you do to Roxie?" Akki yelled at Simon. His yellow eyes started to glow along with his hands. "And no more lies, Simon. I'm sick of them!"

"Well, my dear boy," Simon said calmly with a look of wicked amusement on his face. A sly smile played at the corner of his lips as he rested the barrel of the pistol to Merlander's forehead. He gave a small wince as he felt some of Merlander's pain. That shock band was creating trouble here.

"No more of that talk, traitor!" Akki spat out. He thoroughly showed his disgust for the man. This was the guy who made him betray his beloved team. "Give me the truth and all of it!"

"Let's not make him mad," Daxter spoke up with a weak smile. He was in the middle of Akki with Roxie and Merlander being held at gunpoint by Simon. "We did come here for Merlander. Blasting his brains out is not part of the plan."

"Good plan," Merlander muttered to him. "How 'bout you stick with it."

"But back to the question," Simon said. "I only knocked her out. Mind Speakers can do that to each other. But with normal people, like Merlander here, I have to improvise."

"Shooting me won't do anything," Merlander said through clenched teeth. Boy, did he despise the man. He would never shoot Merlander. The Baron would have his head. Merlander knew he was worth a lot at this point for something unknown to him. A whole bunch of tricks was what Simon was.

"Then I guess I'm aiming at the wrong person," Simon said with a hellish smile.

"No!" Merlander yelled at him, but it was too late to erase that mistake or change Simon's mind. He winced while he heard a bang ring out from the gun and then echo around the metal walls. He spun around with dread.

Akki was leaning up against the wall with a stunned expression on his face that turned into pain. A small red dot was in the middle of his stomach and was growing quickly. Akki still did not say anything. Daxter was breathing hard and was in disbelief of what had just happened.

"No, Akki!" Merlander yelled while running over to his friend with tears filling his eyes. "Stay with me, Akki." Akki made a gagging sound while lying down on the floor. Daxter ran up to his side with Merlander. He was still shock. This was too much for his brain to compute.

"Mer," Akki finally spoke while reaching out for his friend.

"No, Akki," Merlander said while shacking his head and crying freely now. "Don't die! Hang on! I'll get help." Akki smiling weakly through the pain. A pool of blood was forming under him and staining Merlander's pants but he did not even notice.

"I…I did not mean to betray Black Water," Akki said in barely a whisper.

"Of course you didn't," Merlander said. "Now stop talking. I'll get some help. Hang in there."

"No, Mer," Akki said. "I need to tell you this."

"No," Merlander said quietly with tears streaming down his face. Not Akki! Not the boy who was so brave and selfless! Not one of his good friends! How could this happen? Stop, rewind, redo! He did not want it to happen like this!

"Akki," Daxter finally spoke up in what seemed like forever. "Don't go."

"You can't help me, Dax," Akki said with a chuckle. "But, Mer, I want you to know that I'm sorry for everything. For all the pain I caused you. If wasn't for me…"

"I forgive you," Merlander cut him off.

"You do?"

"Akki, you're like the little brother I never had. We might bicker, but I still love you," Merlander said with a smile. "I don't blame you."

"I love you too, Mer," Akki said slowly. He was fading quickly. "And you too, Dax. If you ever see the rest of the team tell them that I love all of them too. I wish I could tell Roxie personally."

"I'll tell her," Daxter said quietly to him.

"Thanks," Akki said after a deep gasp for breath.

"Please, Akki," Merlander said sadly. "Don't leave."

"Have a bit of hope," were Akki's last and final words before he left the world behind. Merlander bowed his head and weeped for the boy's life quietly. Daxter pushed a tear away while staring at Akki's dead body with a deep sadness pressing on his heart. It was at this moment that he noticed Simon standing right behind Merlander and watching him closely. A few Krimson Guards were carrying off Roxie. The orange animal realized that he was the next to go.

"Pity," Simon said with his voice emotionless. "I guess you're not the revenge type, Merlander. You're a mourning type. The Baron's first test did not work out too well."

A/N: I was seriously on the brink of tears while typing this. I killed off poor Akki because I don't need him later on and I needed the subject of his death to come up later on to get some emotion in you readers. Please don't kill me for this! I had planned it from first creating him and had been dreading the chapter because I was a bit attached. So tell me what you think. I'm sure I'll get something out of you guys with this chapter. I hate to leave you here.


	35. Chapter 35 Help From The Enemy

A/N: Yes! I got people to review on my last chapter! But sorry it takes me at least a month to update this fic. I'm having trouble ending it. But I'm still going to do a sequel that might not be as long as this one even though I would want it to. And sorry if Daxter might be a bit OOC in this chapter. I just don't know how he would react to having someone like Akki die. Here is your chapter! Please R&R! Thanks!

Disclaimer: Um…yeah you get the picture. Don't own the game.

Chapter 35

Erol paused outside Merlander's room in the palace. His mind was arguing about going in or not. He winced while he finally knocked on the door. Emotions were always getting in the way of things. There was no answer, but Erol had expected this. He came in anyway after a slight hesitation.

The room was small with one bed and desk. A bathroom was attached off to the side and a wide window let Erol see the big city at night outside way below. Merlander was nowhere to be seen. Erol knew where he was, though.

"Mer, why do you have to be so weird?" he said finally after standing in the middle of the room with second thoughts about what he was doing. There was no answer. Erol bent down and looked under the bed with a slight smile on his face. Merlander was there on his back staring up at the bottom of the bed with his face blank.

"What are you doing here?" Merlander finally asked him without looking to the Elf.

"To talk," Erol said while slipping next to Merlander under the bed. It reminded Erol of the time they hid from Merlander's mom to get out of the job of washing dirty dishes. There was a long silence that both did not mind at all. Both were thinking of the same childhood memories.

"I'm guessing that you are here to give me a fake encouragement so I can feel better to come out of this room to please the Baron," Merlander finally said.

"No," Erol said simply. "Just to talk."

"I don't like bull, Erol," Merlander said with some anger in his voice.

"Stuff it, Mer," Erol snapped back at him. "I don't like what your uncle is doing to you. But I can't stop it. He did not tell me any of his plans for you till just a few days ago. Mer, I don't want to see you change."

"I'm touched."

"Listen to me, Mer!" Erol pleaded with Merlander. "You were my only and best friend. Maybe we can't go back there, but I'm agreeing with what you said. That friendship was a big thing and I don't want it to end this way."

"Then how are we going to end it?" Merlander asked him with a cold glare.

"I'm going to try to get Praxis to send you to the Wasteland," Erol said. "I don't care if you come back to Haven City if that happens. I can't just sit here watching you suffer."

"Don't expect a thank you," Merlander muttered.

"Never did," Erol said while getting up and heading for the door with a sad frown on his face. Where had the Merlander he had known so well gone?

He was about to tap in a code on the door panel when he suddenly heard Merlander cry out, "Erol!"

The Elf paused as the door opened. He looked to the floor as his mind was mixed with different thoughts and emotions. With pain in his eyes he turned around to face Merlander. The other Elf stood by the bed with his face still such a mystery. "Yeah?" he finally asked.

"Thanks," Merlander said with a weak smile.

"You're welcome, Mer," Erol said quietly with a nod. He then left the room.

* * *

The alarm had ended his hell on earth. He could faintly hear the sound blast into his ears as he was dragged out of the torture chair by two strong Krimson Guards. He was on the brink of passing out and he was welcoming the feeling of complete darkness.

Jak was shoved into his prison cell and he slammed into the far wall with a small wince. He slumped to the cold floor with his eyes closed and his breathing in short gasps. His whole body was shaking slightly because of the last dark eco injection. His body should have been fighting it off, but Jak knew that his body was different somehow. He was soaking it all up and storing it somewhere. He was afraid of the day it would be let loose.

Around an hour later some Krimson Guards came down with a girl in their hands. They put this knocked out girl into the cell next to Jak's then left quickly. For some reason Jak forced himself to stand on his two unsteady feet and slowly walked over to the door of his cell that were a bunch of metal bars. They were only wide enough to stick your hand through.

He could hear the girl wake up. Anyone could. She pretty much panicked and had a heart attack. "Holy freaking crap!" she yelled loud enough for the whole world to hear. "Where the hell am I?" Jak smiled. Her reaction reminded him of Daxter.

Jak knocked lightly on the wall that was a wall for her cell too. "Hey!" the girl shouted with cheer in her voice. "Who's there?"

_Figures!_ Jak thought while folding his arms in front of him. _I can't answer that question! I'm stupid to even try to communicate to her while I'm a mute._

"_Dude! You're mute?"_ the girl's voice echoed around into Jak's head suddenly. He gave a silent gasp of surprise. He waited for it again. _"And you have some weird vibe thingy. Ouch! Talking to you as a Mind Speaker hurts! What is your problem?"_

_Dark eco,_ Jak thought just to test it out. She knew he was mute and had somehow read his mind and could talk to him. Simon could not do that to him because of the dark eco in Jak's body. This girl was different somehow.

"_Sweet! I mean that in a cool way, but it must not be cool for you. Okay, I'll stop now because I'm just messing everything up. But one question. Where am I and what happened to my friends?"_

_That was two,_ Jak thought with a smirk on his face.

"Okay, I'm hurting myself talking to you through your head, mystery person," the girl said out loud. "It is easy to read your thoughts, so I'll just do that."

_For the first time in my life I can finally be heard!_ Jak thought to himself with an overwhelming joy.

"Yeah," the girl said with a chuckle. "I can hear everything you think, dude. Just heard your last thought."

Jak blushed a little. _You're in the Baron's prison and I have no idea where your friends are. You came here alone just a few minutes ago._

"Really?" the girl asked more herself than Jak. "I need to get out of here! I have to save them!"

_It looks like you're the one who needs to be saved at the moment,_ Jak said with a smile chuckle. _Unless you have a great plan already to get your butt out of here, you're not getting out your cell in a long time. Best thing to do is wait._

"Crap!" the girl shouted as he kicked the bars to her cell door. "Ouch! Stupid door!" she yelled in pain and Jak laughed silently at her actions. She was definitely new to this kind of life. Hopefully she would be in there for a shorter amount of time Jak had been there. She was the kind of person that would kill herself if she had to stay locked up anywhere. But for now all they could do was what Jak had said. They waited.

* * *

The small red headed Human sat in the giant library of Baron Praxis' Palace. Her lab was in the prison, but it was in high alert at the moment and she could not think straight when the alarm is going off and Krimson Guards are running around like crazy.

She was of much value to the Baron, so he had given her a small room in his palace to sleep every night. Of course she had to wear the wristband when she was there, but she rarely ever got excited about anything, so it did not bug her.

Right now Bo was pulling her fourth all-nighter in the huge beloved library. Books lined every wall and it was like a dream come true for the Human girl. She had found a new interest with her readings. They had a lot of old Earth books here that she had discovered with much joy. If she ever got the chance to escape from here she would have to come back to steal these books. The Baron for sure would not miss them one bit.

"Miss," Bo's personal Krimson Guard asked her from where he stood by the door. He had been assigned to watch the Human's every move. She was smart and dangerous, so she had to have someone to look after her at all times. He had been the lucky man to do so.

Bo's head was deep in her book. She had refused to sit at a desk or in a chair. She liked to sit crossed legged on the rug floor with around twenty books opened and spread out around her. A small coffee cup was next to her along with a magnifying glass just incase if she happened upon small words. The title of the Elf book she was reading said in gold letters _The Laws of Alchemy_.

"Um…Miss?" the sleepy Krimson Guard asked her again.

"Hm?" Bo tilted her head to the side to tell the guy she had heard. Her eyes still flew across the page of the old Elf book that was very similar to some of the old Earth books she had dug up.

"Are you going to sleep anytime soon?" the guard asked her with a yawn.

"Nope," Bo said after a sip of her coffee. "You can."

Before the guard had anytime to say something to her, the door flew open with a high commanding Krimson Guard in the lead. The one by the door backed away when two other lower rank guards came in carrying a cage with an annoying orange Osttel in it.

"What is this all about?" Bo asked them with anger deep in her voice. She liked her peaceful and quiet nights. When she spotted Daxter she got up while narrowing her eyes at him. It was a hint to be quiet and he seemed to get it. She took over the situation quickly.

"This animal broke into the prison a few hours ago," the leader said. "There was a debate over what we had to do with him. We concluded that we should give it to you for experiments."

Bo looked at Daxter and frowned. She had been wondering why the prison's alarm had gone off. She now had her answer staring back at her with wide eyes of worry. "I'll take the thing," Bo said as she grabbed the cage.

"Good luck with it," the leader muttered to her. "Figure a way to make it stop talking."

"I have a name!" Daxter shouted at the Elf.

"We should have sent him to the kitchens," one of the guards said as the three left the room. "Osttel on a stick sounds really good right now." Bo smiled wickedly at the comment as Daxter grumbled a few swears under his breath.

"Be quiet while I read," Bo told Daxter as she sat down again. Daxter nodded as he curled up in a fuzzy ball to get some sleep. His dreams were only nightmares of Akki's death. The hours past by slowly. The guard at the door finally feel asleep at around two in the morning.

When the guards snoring became loud enough for the Human to hear from across the room, Bo smiled wickedly as she put her book down. She shook Daxter's cage to wake him up. His ears perked up when waking. He gave a sleepy yawn and waited for her to ask something. He would have to break the news of Akki's death sometime.

"Okay, tell me what happened, Dax," she whispered with much excitement in her voice. She gave a giggle at her actions and said, "I feel like a little kid again." That wonderful smile fell when Daxter said nothing at first and only looked up at her with pain in his eyes.

Her world came crashing down around her as her mind realized that something was terribly wrong. "No," she whispered as her feelings protested against her quick mind. She shook her head as tears formed in her bright blue eyes. "Not again!" she whispered to herself with so much pain in that small voice.

Daxter could not say anything to her. She had seen so many deaths of people she knew at such a young age. She might only be twelve years old in Human years, but she had always carried herself in a very mature matter. That adult she always tried to portray was now being broken apart once again with the death of another close one. And this one was Akki. She had known him for all her life. How was Daxter going to tell her this news?

The news had to be heard now, though. Daxter hated to be the one to tell it. He took a deep breath and said quietly to the Human, "It…it was Akki." He saw Bo look down to the ground from where she was sitting cross legged next to his cage. Her hands balled into fists as the news hit her full force.

"How?" she finally asked with a voice that had no emotion in it whatsoever.

"Roxie, Akki, and I came in last night to rescue all of you," Daxter said slowly and nervously. "To make a long story short, Simon tricked us into thinking he would shoot Merlander, but at the last second he aimed at Akki and no one had time to react. Roxie had been knocked out and sent to the prison while Merlander was dragged off to the palace. I was put into this cage and the guards debated over where I should be sent. And you pretty much know the rest."

There was complete silence for a few seconds. The only sound to be heard was the guard's loud snoring from the door. The silence was broken when Bo swore quietly to herself. A single hot tear fell to the ground as she tried to fight against the bombardment of emotions swelling up inside of her.

Suddenly the door opened up and a head popped into the room. The Elf's violet eyes fell on Bo and Daxter and he quickly pulled the rest of himself into the room. Bo was still looking to the ground with her eyes closed, but Daxter had seen Merlander come into the room.

Merlander rubbed his wrist with a wince. He had taken a lot of risks coming down to the library to see if Bo was there. He had only done it two times in the few months he had been held captive. But his heart rate always went up when doing it, so the wristband would snap into gear and give him a great deal of pain. But right now Bo needed someone. The guards outside his room were talking about an orange animal they gave the Human girl. Daxter would have told her the news by the time he got to her. And he had been right.

"I could have done something," Bo said. Her body was trying hard to hold back the mix of anger and sadness. "I could have prevented all of this!"

"Yeah right!" Daxter yelled at her. "Only if you had some supernatural powers and somehow directed that bullet to another path you could have saved him. But don't go beating yourself up for the death of Akki. Only someone stupid would do that, and you're not stupid!"

"You don't understand, Dax!" Bo whispered harshly to the orange animal. "I knew how to set Merlander, Flash, Rose, and I free three day ago. But I was stupid and thought that I should have the plan of escape perfect before I did anything. I could have done it that night and prevented all this crap from happening."

Merlander was behind the girl with so much sadness in his eyes that were staring at the poor girl curled up on the floor. Tears formed in his eyes as he watched her suffer. He had gone through that much pain just a few hours ago. Now he had to watch another person go through the same thing. For her it was worse. She knew Akki better than he did. He could not imagine what she was going through right now.

"All because of one stupid mistake in my perfectionist mind!" Bo said. "Sometimes I can't believe that I'm a Human because I make so many mistakes!"

"Look!" Daxter yelled at her. He did not want this girl to freak out so much that she could never pull herself together. He had to knock some sense into her to get her going. "Nobody is perfect! Smart people make mistakes too. But Akki is dead and you can never bring him back or turn back time to save him! He's dead! You have two choices now. Have your pity party and live in the past, or you can pick yourself up and go on with your life. What's it going to be?"

Bo looked up at him with wonder. She listened to every word with her whole heart. It was the first and maybe the only time she took in the animal's words seriously. He was so right! She had been selfish to blame the thing on herself. But right now she just needed time to get through the death of one of her best friends.

The tears finally came. They rushed down her face as she let her emotions free. Daxter was not the comforting type and let Merlander step in. The Elf bent down next to Bo and wrapped his arms around her with a long sigh as he fought off his own emotions.

Bo was surprised to see Merlander suddenly there. She was just thankful that he had come in at just the right time. She rested her forehead on his chest and sobbed. After a few minutes she pulled herself together and smiled weakly up to Merlander and he did the same to her. She saw Merlander as her older brother and loved him so much. What would she do without him?

"I can't believe that he is gone," she said quietly. She looked over to Daxter with a wide grin. "Don't worry, Dax, I'll be fine. It is not like I'll get all psycho on you."

"Let's hope so," Daxter muttered. "Because you are the one with the key to my cage."

Merlander gave a small chuckle as Bo smiled. There was a long silence as each was left alone with their own thoughts. The death of Akki was pretty much the main thought.

"How is Roxie going to take this?" Daxter said with some worry in his voice. They all looked at each other with some panic on each face. "This world is doomed," Daxter said. "It will give her a really big excuse to blow the whole city to pieces."

"We need to know where Roxie is first," Merlander said with a melancholy sigh. Daxter noticed that Merlander's head was somewhere else at the moment. Something strange was going on with him. "But right now we all need some sleep," Merlander said while getting up with Bo.

"But you don't sleep," Daxter pointed out to the Elf as Bo picked up his cage.

Merlander shrugged and said, "For the first time in my life I feel very, very tiered. I will get some sleep tonight." He walked to the door and said behind his shoulder, "Meet me here tomorrow morning at one." He then left as silently as he came.

Bo picked up the book she had been reading and slipped it into her handbag. "What book are you reading?" Daxter asked her with his ears perking up with interest.

"Nothing big," Bo said while shrugging her shoulders. "It is just a science book from the very first Elf years. I was just curious because I found a Human one just like it. Once I'm done with this book I might be able to fully understand the science."

"What will you be able to do if you 'fully understand the science'?" Daxter asked her mockingly.

She took it serious and said, "I might be able to change the elements into whatever I wish."

A/N: Sorry if chapter was short. I kind of broke down today because one of my really good friend's dad died just a few days ago. Today it finally sunk in that this man who I had been talking and interacting with was just…gone. I would never be able to see or speak to him ever again till I died myself. I just saw the friend today at church as they prayed for her and her family of six. My friend is only 15 and her dad just suddenly dies! I put myself in her shoes and asked myself how I would react. All I can say is that God works in mysterious ways that sometimes I just can't understand. Please pray for my friend.

I dedicate this chapter to my friend, Naomi Anderton. She lost her dad on the 24th of August of the year 2005. I will always remember him. And I hope Naomi will someday see and understand why God did this in her life. He has a plan for all of us. Just some are shorter than others. I love you as a really good friend, Naomi! If you need a shoulder to cry or hold onto I'm here.


	36. Chapter 36 Blood Lust

A/N: Sorry for the two month wait for this chapter, folks. At least I'm still going on with it and this chapter is one of the lasts. I've been so busy for this past month that I rarely got around to doing my other fics that I didn't have writer's block on. I just love this fic so much it is like I don't want to end the fun. That had to have sound stupid, but oh well. Please forgive me for my huge delay! Please R&R. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Nope!

Chapter 36

"So the plan is set," Merlander said to Bo and Daxter. They both nodded, and he went on. The three were sitting on the library floor huddling over a map of the prison at around two in the morning, as Bo's guard slept soundly by the door.

"Bo knows were Flash and Rose's room is," Merlander said in a loud whisper. "I know where Roxie and Jak are. Their cells are right next to each other."

"Wait!" Daxter said while putting his hands above his head to stop all talking. "You know where Jak is?" he asked Merlander while pointing a fuzzy finger in his face. "And you never told me?"

"Shh!" Bo hissed to Daxter while whacking him on the back of his head to shut the animal up. "Be quiet or that guard will wake up and all hell will break lose."

"Of course I knew where Jak was!" Merlander whispered down to Daxter with a frown on his face. "But I was busy being held captive here, so I couldn't tell you till now. Think next time before you go yelling randomly, okay?"

"Okay, touchy!" Daxter said quiet and backing up to give the nervous Elf and Human some room to breathe. But Daxter couldn't keep the wide, goofy grin off his face at the thought of seeing Jak again. How he so badly wanted to see him! He was now dying to see his old friend once again.

"Tomorrow night is the night then," Merlander said while tapping his chin in thought. He looked over the map and said, "We know how to get out of the wristband now, and getting out of here will be easy. The hard part is rescuing the others. At exactly eleven you go after the young ones while I go for Roxie and Jak. We will meet up with each other at the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon. Try not to set off any alarms. How does that sound?"

"Can I go with you?" Daxter asked Merlander with a spark of hope shining in his eyes.

"No," Merlander answered firmly. "Bo needs help with the two young ones. She has to carry Rose, and she might need help containing Flash. I can take care of Roxie and Jak by myself."

"Fun sucker," Daxter muttered under his breath. He glared up at Merlander and folded his arms across his chest to sulk about the answer he had gotten from the serious Elf.

"This is serious, Dax," Merlander said. "No screw ups or we all could be dead that night. I don't want more blood on my hands." At the mention of blood it reminded the group of the death of their loved one. They all grew quiet and stared at the floor with their own dark thoughts over the matter. Determination and anger burned in all their eyes. They were ready to get the hell out of there for good.

"Plus," Bo finally said with a small smile coming to her lips. "If desperate times come down to desperate measures I know exactly what to do. You won't have to worry about me, Mer."

"Good," Merlander with a nod. "It's a plan, then."

* * *

"Good evening, Merlander," Simon said calmly to the teen Elf. The two stood opposite of each other in the training room. The man stood in his usual stance that was relaxed and almost emotionless. He could feel all the emotions of the other one, though, and at times it was almost overwhelming. A lot of pent of anger and pain was locked up into this teen.

"It is clear what you feel today," Simon said while seeing Merlander's hands burst into yellow flame. He didn't have a wristband on, so everything was flowing out right now. "But that is the emotion I want you to feel tonight, Mer. And you're going to feel a lot of it really soon."

"What do you mean?" Merlander asked him with confusion in his voice. He let out a deep breath and cleared his mind of emotions. The yellow flames were put out as he said to Simon, "Stop speaking in riddles, Simon. I'm getting sick of it."

"Then let me put an end to this puzzlement," Simon said with a small, wicked smile on his lips. Merlander gulped down a wave of dread as the man snapped his fingers for two guards to come in with someone. Simon tried not to flinch as he felt all the emotions of Merlander pore out on him when the boy recognized the captive.

"Roxie!" Merlander shouted while taking a step forward to prevent her from getting hurt. His body burst into blue sparks as he was struck with fear of anything bad happening to her. She looked up at him and both their eyes made instant contact.

"_It will be okay, Merlander,"_ Roxie's voice said in his head with a soothing tone to it that made the teen give a small shiver. _"I'll be fine,"_ the voice said, and she smiled faintly at him from where she was forced to stand in the room.

"How sweet," Simon said sardonically to them both. He smiled again while putting his hands behind his back and glancing between the two. "You two must really like each other."

"What are you going to do to her?" Merlander asked Simon while trying hard to hold back his fury.

"Oh, you have it all wrong, my boy!" Simon said while revealing another wristband that he had been holding behind his back. He stared at it for a few seconds while thinking about something unknown to the two Elves. His eyes then pinned on Merlander as he said, "I'm going to do nothing to this innocent girl. You're going to be the one."

"Huh?"

* * *

"Are you sure that you know what you're doing, Bo?" Daxter asked the Human girl while standing on her small shoulder that could barely hold him up.

"The first law of Alchemy is that you have to give something up of equal value before changing something by using Alchemy," Bo said. She took out a knife that she had stolen from the dinner table that night. She stared at her refection in the cold silver of the weapon before giving a small nod.

"Whoa! What the heck are you doing?" Daxter yelled at Bo as he saw her let out a deep breathe before slightly slicing some of her palm open a little. It was just enough for blood to come out. "Humans are crazy!" Daxter yelled as he watched the girl in horror, yet he was very curious as to what she would do next.

"This much blood from my own body I think is of equal value as to burning this metal of my wristband," Bo said with a wince as she rubbed the blood around her hand.

"You've never done this before, have you?" Daxter asked her with some fear in his voice.

"Never before in my life!" Bo said with a wicked smile on her face. "Here goes nothing, Dax!"

"Humans are crazy," Daxter said again as he watched her closely. Bo grabbed her wristband with her bloody hand and closed her eyes tight to concentrate on whatever she needed to do. He had no idea what to expect of this. Would it even work? He was very doubtful at this point.

Nothing happened for a few seconds. "Come on!" Bo muttered then finally gave a short yell as her wristband suddenly lit up in a red light that made Daxter cry out as his eyes hurt. When he looked back, the wristband looked like it had been melted all around. A few small burned marks were on the Human's arm, but besides that she was fine and happy as ever.

"I knew it would work!" Bo said more to herself than the fuzzy animal on her shoulder. She ripped the wristband off her arm and ran to the door of the lab room that was guarded by the same guard as before. The two then looked up to the clock on the wall and only had to wait four seconds for it to turn eleven.

"I'm way ahead of you, crazy girl!" Daxter said to Bo while jumping off her shoulder. He gave her a two finger salute and went right to work with their plan. He jumped onto a table and started to push glass bowls and beakers off. Various smashes and crashes started to sound around the room, as Bo stood by the door yelling random things as if Daxter had been let lose and making a mess.

"Get back here you stupid fuzz butt!" Bo yelled right as the guard came in to see what the entire ruckus was. He barely had time to spot Daxter before he blacked out from the blow he got to the back of his head by a swing of Bo's Staff.

"Nice shot!" Daxter said while jumping off a table. He sniffed the Elf and smiled to himself.

"Well, thanks, fuzz butt," Bo said sweetly to Daxter.

Daxter jumped to her shoulder with a frown on his face. "Don't call me that," he said to her with annoyance in his voice.

"Then stop calling me crazy girl," Bo said slyly.

"You win," Daxter muttered to her as she ran out of the room on her way to rescue her friends.

* * *

"What do you mean?" Merlander asked Simon. Another wave of confusion swept over his face.

Simon walked over to Merlander with that evil smile still planted on his face. "This," he said while quickly clipping the wristband onto the teen's arm before he could get his head on straight. The man backed up as the effects of the new band took over the Elf's body quickly.

Merlander cried out a little as he felt his body take in the effects of the band. He winced as his hands burned with that yellow fire. The fire kept getting stronger, and in seconds, Merlander couldn't control it anymore, and he watched in horror as his body started to slowly take on the yellow eco.

"That wristband is like the one they put on you to make you fight others," Simon explained to Merlander. "This one is ten times stronger than that one," Simon said, and his smile got bigger when he saw Merlander's face contort into anger.

"What are you doing to me?" Merlander yelled at Simon while throwing a punch at the man. Simon caught his fist and quickly released him with a small wince as the fire burned his skin slightly.

"I see that the effects are already taking hold onto your body," Simon said. "After a few minutes it will make you so angry and blood thirsty that you will kill anything in your path. I wonder what will happen if you kill the one you love most." As he said this, he pointed to Roxie who was standing there in complete horror of what was going on.

"No!" Merlander yelled while coming at Simon again. "Take the damn thing off me right now, Simon!" The man simply moved away. As Merlander regained his balance, the man and the two guards escaped through the metal door. Simon reappeared a few stories above them in room with a big window looking down at the training room so that person could observe everything.

"Merlander?" Roxie asked the teen with her voice having fear in it. "Please don't do this. Please fight it. I might not know what's going on between you and Simon, but I do know that he wants you to kill me for some reason."

Merlander tried to hold onto sanity as he dropped to his hands and knees. Roxie came a little closer to her friend and saw that tears were streaming down his face. He looked up to her and said softly, "I don't want to hurt you, Roxie."

"I know," Roxie said quickly. "But can't you fight it?"

"No," Merlander said while shaking his head. He gave a quiet sob and said, "I love you, Roxie." He paused. "I didn't want to tell you this before because…I guess…I was just too scared." He looked back up at her and then said, "But if everything goes the way Simon plans it, I wanted to tell you that. I'm sorry."

Roxie was quiet for a few seconds. Tears started to form in her own eyes as she realized that she might not make it out of this room alive, and that it would be her best friend that would kill her. But she was going to try to hold onto a bit of hope that someone or something could rescue her and Merlander if she hung in there.

Roxie let the tears flow as she whispered back to Merlander, "I love you too, Mer."

But Merlander had not heard her. The anger and blood lust had finally taken complete control of his body right before she was able to get those words out of her mouth. He looked up to the girl, and all he could think about was ripping her apart and beating her to a pulp. He wanted to see her blood spill and splatter all around these tight walls and floor that were his prison. He wanted to kill.

* * *

"So," Daxter said as Bo sprinted down the hallway of the prison. He bounced up and down from her running, and he was having a hard time staying on her shoulder. "What if you want to make something different than just melting metal?"

"I would need more equal payment," Bo said. "But to change something else I would have to get more research on that element," she said with a nod. "This is an old science that didn't work very well on Earth and for Humans. But on this world it works better, and I can perform it just as well as Elves."

"Okay," Daxter said with confusion. He watched as Bo slowed down and ripped off some of her shirt to wrap around her hand to stop it from bleeding anymore. They ran for a few more minutes till they finally got to the room that Flash and Rose was being held in. It was guarded by three Krimson Guards that looked bored out of their wits.

Bo silently took out her Bo Staff with a quick twirl of her hand as she flattened her back against the wall. The animal and Human nodded to each other right before Bo flung herself out of her hiding place. She swung the staff down vertically onto one of the guy's head. He was out before he hit the floor.

"Riddle for you," Bo said to the two other guards while resting the Staff on one of her shoulders. The two guards got into a fighting stance while holding up their guns. Bo smiled before saying, "Who's next?"

At this, the two came at her. The small Human flipped up into the air and landed behind them. She tripped one with her Staff. While that guy was down, the girl used her staff as a baseball bat to knockout the other dude. She then came down at the last Krimson Guard with no mercy in her deadly attack. She then stood back to admire her beautiful handy work.

Bo took out a set of keys from one of the guards pockets and tried a few before getting the right one to unlock the door. She swung the door open and saw baby Rose crying softly in a bed as Flash paced the room as lighting speed. When he saw Bo and Daxter in the doorway, his eyes lit up as a smile spread across his face.

"Hey, kid!" Daxter said while jumping onto the boy's head. "Miss me?"

"You bet I did!" Flash said while jumping up and down with excitement.

Bo picked up Rose carefully and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Rose knew exactly who Bo was and giggled with happiness to get out of the place. "We need to pick up the pace, Dax," Bo said down to Daxter. Worry was on her face as she quickly walked over to the door. "I have a bad feeling that someone could have heard me take down all those guards."

"Then let's get out of here!" Daxter said while hopping off Flash's head.

"What are we doing?" Flash asked his fuzzy friend.

"Escaping!" Daxter said while winking to the kid.

A/N: I want to end this chapter here. Don't worry, I have lot of plans for ending this, and my next update will be VERY soon. Don't think that it will be another month. I swear that it won't be! But please tell me how you think of it so far in a review. Thank you for the other reviews. I'm sorry that I won't be able to answer them. I'll leave you readers here for now. Please review. Thanks!


	37. Chapter 37 Banishment

A/N: Yes! People still like this fic enough to keep on reviewing even though I've not updated in forever! This makes me very happy and I have to say that I LOVE you reviewers! You know how to make a girl happy! I've done so many Teen Titan fics that I get the same reviewers that can sometimes be a bit…odd. But you guys are awesome! Keep it up, and here is your next chapter. I won't be evil and will just get to the really good stuff. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Jak and Daxter. Deal with it.

Chapter 37

Roxie screamed loudly in horror as Merlander came at her with an angry battle yell. She put her arms over her head and quickly made a thick green eco shield with her powers that were multiplied by her green eco stone. Without it she would be dead by now.

"Merlander stop!" Roxie shouted at him with her voice shaky and on the brink of cracking as the fear of her situation rose in her.

Merlander didn't seem to ever hear any of her words as he threw himself at her with all he had. It was all Roxie could do to protect herself from the many dangers he threw at her. Yellow fire balls rained down on her head for one second, then he would be trying to kick her the next with strength unknown.

In only the matter of minutes, Roxie was completely worn out from all her dodging and from using so much of her green eco powers. She panted loudly as the sweat pored down her forehead and down her cheeks as makeshift tears for her lost friend. Her face and eyes showed panic as she tried to avoid Merlander. The teen was acting like a wild beast. His only goal was to bring her down.

The move that took her down was something she could never have avoided with her weariness. Merlander had thrown about a dozen fireballs at her, and as she tried her very best to dodge them instead of using her green eco. He had come up behind her and delivered a powerful kick to her back. The force sent her rolling, and she didn't stop till the wall said it was enough.

Roxie gave a small whimper of pain as she struggled to her two unsteady feet. Her eyes went wide with fear as she saw Merlander coming at her once again. "NO!" she screamed while putting her hand up to stop him. By mistake, her palm touched his forehead, and her Mind Speaking abilities then took over both of their bodies. They didn't see Simon look down at them with much interest in his eyes. He wondered what she would do with that move.

The girl was floating in world of darkness that surrounded her from like a moonless night. She spotted Merlander floating a few feet away from her. He frowned at her before demanding, "Get out of here, Roxie. I know what I'm doing. Just keep fighting."

"What are you talking about, Mer?" Roxie asked him with confusion and pain in her voice. "I can't fight that beast anymore. You're way too powerful in that mode. You have no control of that thing!"

"Uh!" Merlander muttered in frustration. "You're in my mind right now. If I didn't have control of that thing outside of here I wouldn't look like this. You have to leave right now and keep fighting. I'm sorry if I'm sounding really demanding right now, but you must leave!"

"But!" Roxie said while running in mid air towards Merlander. The problem was that she wasn't getting anywhere closer to him. She desperately didn't want to go back out there and fight him. It was scary. How could the man who said that he loved her tell her to go back and get killed?

"Leave!" Merlander yelled at her loudly. This did the trick, and Roxie found herself back in the real world staring into the yellow eyes of Merlander. She screamed again while rolling away from an attack. She jumped to her feet and prepared for more battle.

Roxie went back to her first form of fighting. She ducked and dodged every hit that came at her. She just hoped that Merlander knew what he was doing, because it sure didn't seem like it. After a few minutes of playing the full time defense, Roxie started to pick up on fragments of Merlander's thoughts.

"_You make everyone's life a living hell!" "You imprisoned my friends!" "You made my very best friend betray me!" "You went into my mind and saw things that no one should see!" "You betrayed Black Water!" "You're making me hurt the one I most love in my life!" "YOU KILLED AKKI!"_

The last fragment Roxie heard Merlander scream in his head made her gasp and pause in the middle of fighting. She gave a sharp cry of pain as Merlander hit her in an uppercut. She landed on her back with a wince and looked up with fright as Merlander stood over her defeated body with his eyes only showing anger that desperately needed to be let out.

"Please," Roxie pleaded in a small voice as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.

Merlander pointed his hands at Roxie and frowned deeply as he started to form a giant ball of yellow eco. Roxie backed up till her back was pressed up against the wall of which the window Simon was looking out of was on. A horror that seemed to swallow her up and kill all the senses in her engulfed her body as she stared up at her friend.

Right when Roxie thought that he would really kill her and that her life was over, Merlander hesitated and a sly smile came to his lips. He shook his head at Roxie and tore his yellow eco ball in half and threw the two fire balls he had made down on the floor by his feet. The explosion sent him into the air as Roxie put up another shield to protect herself.

Merlander smashed through the glass window that Simon was behind with another big blast of yellow eco. He landed on the windowsill with his fists at his sides and his eyes narrowed slits of pure hatred for the man that stared up at him. The teen bared his teeth as another wave of anger pored into his system. Small shards of broken glass fell onto the teen here and there, but he was not affected by them. His sights were set on Simon.

"I'm sick of you, Simon," Merlander growled at the man after some silence. "I was your test subject this whole time. All you wanted to see was a ruthless fighter that only knew pain and suffering. Well, you got it. But you forgot one thing in your testing, Simon." He paused and then said menacingly, "You forgot to control it. I'm yours no more!"

Merlander grabbed the wristband controlling his emotions with his free hand and quickly incinerated it to black ashes. He opened his palm and the dust fell to the floor. He looked up to Simon, and his eyes were still dark. He was still as angry as before.

Simon started to laugh and said, "That is where you are wrong, Merlander. I have complete control over you. You can't kill me now because of your stupid morals. You won't be able to bring yourself to kill me without that wristband right now."

"And that is where you are wrong, Simon," Merlander mimicked the man. The only difference was that his voice had a deadly tone in it that could chill anyone's blood and make them go cold.

Simon's smile faded quickly as he saw how serious Merlander was. Suddenly fear took over the man as he realized that he really was wrong and Merlander was right. He looked up to Merlander while already knowing his fate by now. "I guess I did too well with you, Merlander," he said with sadness in his voice.

"I'm putting an end to everyone's suffering right now!" Merlander shouted. He put his hands together and used his blue eco to quickly thrust his hands charging up with yellow eco at Simon. The two collided into the wall.

A scream of pain and a yell of revenge sounded out into the room as Merlander's hands burned through Simon's stomach. Their eyes locked, and it seemed like all of the memories that Simon had stolen from Merlander were returned. The teen was slowly getting all his identity back from the man who had stolen it from him ruthlessly. The brokenness in side him was being rebuilt.

"You'll regret this, Merlander," Simon said to the teen weakly. A small trickle of blood slowly came out of his mouth and made one red line to his chin. "The Baron won't be so nice to his nephew when he finds out that you killed his greatest scientist. You're friends won't be able to forget that you're a murderer. And you, Merlander, won't be able to forget your inerasable sin."

Merlander now looked scared, but that feeling quickly vanished as he whispered harshly into Simon's face, "I might never forget this moment or forgive myself for killing someone." He then smiled evilly and said, "But right now getting my freedom back and preventing you from killing someone from the very inside like you did to me is something I've been longing to do for such a long time. I'm free from you, and it is the best I've ever felt."

"I'll say it again, Merlander," Simon said with his voice only a faint whisper. He was dying quickly and would soon be done with this world. "You'll regret this." And those were the last words of the man Merlander most hated with a great passion.

Merlander breathed a deep sigh while taking his hands out of Simon's body. He burned the blood off of them with his yellow eco and turned around. He looked down to the room below him and saw Roxie staring up at him with her deep, green eyes having so many emotions swimming in them. She looked confused and scared.

"Is he…gone?" she asked him quietly.

Merlander jumped down to her level and nodded while saying quietly, "Yep. I'm sorry if it really seemed like I was going to kill you, Roxie. I was doing it for Simon. He had to believe that I was mad at you and wanted to kill you. But I used all that anger to focus on him. After a while all I wanted was to kill him."

"Don't scare me like that again!" Roxie said while throwing her arms around him and crying softly into his shoulder. "I really thought you were going to kill me!"

Merlander hugged her back, but his smile was long gone. He stared ahead while thinking to himself. Maybe fate was all against him. He had broken the trust between him and Roxie. He didn't want all this to happen to him, but it seemed like he only hurt people. Something in this world had to hate him because he was only a nightmare and a disaster.

"Don't move, Merlander!" someone said suddenly as the door busted open. Both Elves looked to see Erol with a dozen of Krimson Guards standing at the doorway. They all had their guns pointed to Merlander because they knew that losing him was more dangerous than losing the girl. Even Erol had his pistol pointed to his friend.

"You made sure you were a little late to coming and helping the dead Simon, Erol," Merlander said slyly to the Elf.

"So I didn't like the guy very much," Erol said with a shrug. "He was too creepy for my liking. Besides, he was too power hungry and was threatening to take my place by the Baron's side." He smiled a little and said, "Look on the bright side, Mer, with him gone you can be banished to the Wasteland now."

The two smiled at the small joke. No one else knew that the two had made that small deal that was pretty much thrown away at this point for Merlander. But Erol was still serious about Merlander going to the Wasteland. With Simon gone, the Baron had absolutely no need for him. He was dangerous for the City, and the only thing to do was banish him.

"_Go, Roxie!"_ Merlander thought to his friend. She looked over to him with confusion, and he thought to her, _"Go now! Go to Hip Hog Heaven Saloon. Bo and the rest will be there. I'm not through here just yet. I'll see you again at my trial."_

_What are you talking about, Mer?_ She thought back to him with anger in her voice. _You're not really thinking about going to the Wasteland, are you? But you're finally free!_

"_I have to do this, Roxie!"_ Merlander thought back quickly. _"I know you don't understand it now, but it will be clear later on. I'll come back to Haven City. I promise. I just need some time to think and be alone. Now go!"_

Roxie smiled a little to him then glowed green. She ran towards the Krimson Guards. Merlander winced when Erol ordered them to fire at her. Of course, nothing could hurt the crazy green girl, and this made Merlander smile. Roxie simply jumped over the men and ran right out of the room with an evil laugh. Erol growled a curse under his breath and yelled at his Krimson Guards to go after her.

When they were all gone Merlander walked over to Erol and they were silent for a few seconds. The two stared into the other's eyes till Erol finally lowered his pistol and gave Merlander a confused look.

"Why don't you run?" Erol asked him. "I know that you're with that insane girl, so why didn't you go with her? The deal is pretty much off on your part."

"Do you want me to go?" Merlander asked him with a sly smile. He loved to see his Erol confused, and it seemed like he was the only one who could do that to him.

Erol raised his pistol back up to Merlander and said in a puzzled voice, "No. I don't want you to go because it would look better to the Baron if I brought at least one of you two back. I'm just wondering why you aren't putting up a fight, because I sure would."

"Put the pistol down, Erol," Merlander said to his friend while lowering the weapon with his hand. Erol hesitated before putting it away. "I need some time away from this cursed city," Merlander then said to him. "Maybe going back to the Wasteland where I grew up would do me some good. I just seem to get my friends in trouble. I don't have any in the Wasteland, so I don't know if that's a good or bad thing."

Erol gave a small laugh at his friend's humor and said jokingly, "You're a loser, Mer. That's why you don't have any friends."

"You have to be a loser too if you were my first true friend," Merlander came back quickly. The two laughed together while walking out of the room. Merlander then got serious and said, "I'm going to come back, Erol. Don't think that I'm going to stay there for now on."

"Why are you telling me stuff I already know, Mer?" Erol asked him. "And I understand you. We're real close even though we have to enemies. And I'm glad we can still talk like this after what we've been through." He smiled and added, "Don't think I won't shoot at you when you join the Underground while coming back."

"You think I'm going to join the Underground again?" Merlander asked him with a smile. He hadn't really dwelled on it. Now that Erol said something about it the topic made him think of his life back at Haven City after he calmed down in the Wasteland. He couldn't deny that he was an adventure seeker.

"You already worked for that pain in the ass leader, Torn," Erol said. "What is going to keep you from going to him again?"

Merlander looked thoughtful over the question and nodded slowly while saying, "Maybe."

* * *

The day was a gross and a wet one. The rain kept coming down in big, fat drops that could soak anyone to the core. No one wanted to go anywhere in the humid weather. But it was a surprise at the number of Elves came out of their homes to see the outside trail of Merlander. But not even his family stayed too long to see what the Baron would sentence him to.

The teen had killed the Mind Speaker, Simon, and that meant death or banishment to the Wasteland. Both pretty much meant death if you didn't know anything about the city, Spargus, which lived peacefully in the desert place and was only populated with criminals and insane people. A rumor had gone out that the teen had killed Simon in a freak testing accident.

Merlander stood out in the rain with his wrists handcuffed. His blond hair hung into his eyes that stared at the stage under him. Some Krimson Guards with guns walked around the place to make sure no one in the crowd tried to rescue the Elf. Erol stood a few yards away from the teen while reading the reasons for why he was here. Once in a while he stumbled on his words because of the rain getting in the way.

The Baron rarely had anyone really trailed, so lots of curious Elves came out to see what would happen to Merlander even if they knew him or not. One of those curious Elves had on a gray cloak with the hood up to hide her real identity. She was really one of the few Humans in the city.

Bo slowly walked through the quiet crowd of Elves with her deep, blue eyes locked onto Merlander. She had promised Roxie and her parents that were taking care of her that she wouldn't come out here to see him, but she came anyway.

Merlander looked emotionless as he stood there. The rain didn't affect him it seemed. Some people were kind of amazed at how calm and strong he looked up on the stage him and Erol stood on. Bo finally made her way to the front of all the Elves and looked up to her friend with pain on her face. She didn't want to just let Merlander go. He was everything to her. He was like her brother and the provider of the team. Without him, where would she be?

The teen looked down at his friend with surprise in his eyes. He didn't think anyone was stupid enough to come and see him get banished with this much rain and the big chance that they would get caught. Even more surprise came to his face when another Human showed up beside the other with a dark green cloak on, just like the others.

Torn was going to kill the second Human for coming. Tuya looked up to Merlander and smiled sweetly at him as if to say goodbye. He didn't know that she liked him so much as to come out and see him. Her little muse sat in the mud meowing every now and then. Merlander smiled back down to Tuya and was glad that she came out to say goodbye. She always seem to have a calmly effect on him.

Merlander then focused his attention to Bo. He looked down to his boot as he slid it forward a little off the stage. He then brought it back and peeled off a piece of paper that had been stuck to the bottom of it. It fell to the ground and Mozart picked it up. Tuya took it from her pet and silently gave it to Bo. She then left and disappeared into the thick crowd.

Bo looked back up to Merlander while tears formed at the corners of her eyes. But she never cried as she stayed for the whole trial. Of course, Merlander was banished to the Wasteland. He was to go right away to the desert. The Krimson Guards escorted him to the big zoomer that would take him there.

Right before Merlander got into the zoomer, he turned his head around and winked to Bo with a small smile on his lips. The Human waved back to him silently as she tightened her grip around his note in her other hand. She hoped he would come back soon.

A/N: There you go, people. I'm just so happy that I killed off Simon. It is pretty pathetic when you hate your own villain so much that you rejoice when you kill him off. I have one more chapter and I'm done with this fic and I'll be on to my sequel! The sequel will be shorter and things just get worse for my poor Merlander. I get to use Jak whenever I want to and Cleaver will be back with a BANG! Okay, that last part was just stupid nonsense. All I'm saying is that there will be less OCs and more characters from the games. Should I just add on the sequel to this fic or just put up a new fic? You guys tell me what you think. I'll update soon! Please give a review! Thanks!


	38. Chapter 38 First Sentance

A/N: The last chapter for this fic! I had so much fun with this thing! I hope you stick around for my brilliant sequel. Thanks for the many reviews! Someone asked me to make this last chapter long, so hope you guys like the longness! And here is my part time ending. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: For the last and final time for this fic, I don't own anything from Jak 2!

Chapter 38

The heat in the small, metal box that carried the banished teen was almost unbearable. Merlander slept roughly on the bench in the zoomer with a Krimson Guard and Erol in the front driving the hovercraft. They had been the lucky ones with an AC system. Merlander had nothing to cool him off, so he just sweated for the three to four hour long trip out to the Wasteland.

The teen lifted his head up when the zoomer stopped suddenly. They were finally here. Merlander waited silently till the door to his small prison cell was opened and he was blinded by the stunning sunlight that pored into the darkness. He had to hold a hand over his eyes till his vision got used to the surrounds.

Erol led Merlander a few yards away from the zoomer while the Krimson Guard stood by the hovercraft with his gun aimed at the teen. Erol stopped and took off Merlander's handcuffs. He avoided any eye contact with his friend as he did his job silently.

A depressing feeling came over Merlander as he stared out into the Wasteland. Nothing was seen for miles, just cactuses, small plants, rocks, and lots and lots of sand. The sun bore down onto the deserted land relentlessly and it made small mirages on the horizon here and there. Because of so much heat, everything seemed fuzzy, as if it was a dream of some kind.

"Are you sure that you know what you're doing, Mer?" Erol whispered to Merlander suddenly. He looked around them with a grim look on his face. Right now he thought Merlander was crazy to want to come out here in the middle of nowhere. Sure, there was Spargus, but how was he going to find it?

"I have connections," Merlander answered with a shrug. "I'll be fine."

"Whatever, freak," Erol said. He smiled slightly up to Merlander and the teen returned it with a wide grin. Erol then stepped back and said to Merlander very professionally, "Merlander, the Barron has sentenced you to the Wasteland and to your death because of the following: spying, treason, and murder. He wishes you a happy afterlife."

Merlander gave a small laugh and noticed that Erol was trying his best to hide a small smile. "I like that last part, Erol," Merlander said. "Tell my uncle that he has a good sense of humor." He paused then added, "And tell him I'm not finished with Haven City."

"Don't worry," Erol said with a sharp nod, "I will."

The two stood there for a few silent seconds. This was it. The two were going to have to part for good this time. When Merlander came back to Haven City they were would be on opposite sides and emotions and friendships could not get in the way. Even though Erol never wanted to admit it, he would miss his friend with his whole heart. It pained him to see Merlander like this.

Merlander sighed and said with a small nod, "Go, Erol. Goodbye…for now."

"Goodbye, Merlander," Erol said quietly. His pent up emotions then couldn't take it being locked up and the Elf ran towards Merlander and embraced him in a farewell hug. Merlander was a bit surprised by this act because usually it was him that would express his feelings with actions while Erol just spoke his feelings. Plus, Merlander was about to do the same thing.

"You were the best friend I had, Erol," Merlander whispered to the other Elf. "Make my uncle proud while I'm gone."

"I will, Merlander," Erol whispered back. "Just don't get yourself killed out here. And I'm sorry if I caused you any pain. I wish I could take what I did back."

"We look like freaking girls!" Merlander said while pushing Erol away jokingly. "And please don't tell me that you're crying. Why did you have to get all mussy on me, Erol? Geeze! You have problems!"

"I have problems?" Erol asked him. "What about you. You _wanted_ to get banished to this frying pan! Man, it's hot out here! How do you people live like this?" Merlander just shrugged and smiled. They both grew quiet again and Merlander gave his friend a nod to go. Erol nodded back while understanding. He turned and walked back to the zoomer where the Krimson Guard had already gotten into the driver's seat. He hadn't seen anything and only thought Erol was gone for so long because he was dirty talking the banished teen.

Merlander watched Erol leave till he couldn't see the zoomer anymore. He gave a deep sigh of sadness then ran a hand through his hair. _Goodbye Haven City and hello Spargus!_ The ironic thought made the teen give a bitter chuckle. No one but him would think like that.

The teen then set off into the desert to where some rocky mountains were. Behind those mountains would be the city he was looking for. It would take him a day to get there one foot, though. After around an hour of walking slowly up and down small sand dunes and stumbling through small wind tornadoes, Merlander had had enough with the desert even though he knew exactly how to survive in it.

The sweat pored down Merlander's forehead and back and soaked his clothes as the sun overhead kept coming down at him with no mercy. He was slowly becoming dehydrated and weak. But he kept going and pushing his way through the blazing wilderness. He knew a stream was at the base of the mountains. He would only stop there.

The second hour went by just as unbearable as the other. Merlander was trying to keep himself awake and going by talking to himself, but it was more along the lines of arguing with himself.

"You had to get banished," Merlander said to no one. "You had to go and be the strange one and come out to your homeland!" He climbed a sand dune with some difficulty. While coming down he tripped over a small rock and rolled and tumbled the rest of the way down.

Merlander picked himself up while coughing up sand. "Idiot!" he yelled at himself. "Why did you come out here in the first place? Maybe I should have just stayed at Haven City."

"Maybe," a voice said from Merlander's side. "But I think you're better off here, kid."

Merlander's eyes went wide with surprise as he turned around to see Sig leaning against his huge, armor platted dune buggy with another smaller one behind his. Merlander was so happy at this moment that he could do nothing but laugh. Sig shook his head at the teen's actions while throwing a canteen of water to him.

"Have I ever told you, Sig, how awesome you are?" Merlander asked him. He gulped down the cool water gratefully and left a little for Sig. That was what the Wastelanders did. They always looked out for the others when they were in groups. Leaving some extra sips of water for the other person even though you were dying of thirst was something everyone out here did. But that didn't mean they did it all the time.

"I bet you're wondering how I knew where to find you," Sig said. Merlander nodded with a smile. "Well, Krew is doing some strange things in Haven City and left the Hip Hog Heaven Saloon for a few days. I took that as my opportunity to come here and welcome you back to the Wasteland. Damas let me have a few buggies to pick you up."

"Man! You came just in time, Sig," Merlander said. He jumped into his dune buggy and didn't even bother to buckle up. He looked up to the Elf and asked, "So Damas won't make me work for my acceptance into Spargus?"

Sig smiled slyly and said, "He wants to know how good a fighter you are now. You were the first kid born and grown up in Spargus City. He was surprised to hear your name again when I said you were coming. I'll just say that he looks forward to your arrival."

"Great," Merlander muttered but couldn't help but smile when Sig started to laugh at him. The teen gave a sigh then yelled over to Sig who just got in his vehicle, "Let's hear these babies roar, Sig! Lead the way!"

Sig started his buggy and Merlander followed suit. The engines roared into life and Merlander nodded with a satisfied smile playing on his lips. Sig didn't do bad picking up these buggies. Sig took off and Merlander slammed his foot on the gas pedal to stay with him. They headed quickly for the mountains.

Both Elves flew over the dunes and got at least five seconds of air every time. They would come crashing down with a whoop of joy while pumping their fists into the air. Merlander was having a blast! He had missed doing this. These vehicles could take so much, unlike zoomers. Merlander was fitting in already.

The two made it to the mountains by nightfall because they had goofed around for around an hour. A small hole was at the base of the mountains. It was a cave that would take them easily to the other side. They slowed down at bit and went into the cave while turning on their lights.

Sig stopped when they came out on the other side. They were on a cliff looking out onto the land. Merlander stopped his buggy next to Sig's and stood up in his seat to get a better look. From here they could see all of Spargus. It was way bigger than what it was a few years ago. Fire torches were everywhere behind the high walls to keep it safe. And there was the Arena.

"It's different but still the same somehow," Merlander said quietly. He closed his eyes as a strong breeze brushed over his face. Sig smiled while watching him. He had never seen Merlander so calm and peaceful like this ever before.

"Let's go before a Marauder spots us," Sig said after a few silent seconds.

Merlander looked over to him with confusion. "What's up with the Marauders?" he asked. "They used to come and go peacefully. We traded with them all the time. Why would we have to look out for them?"

"War," Sig answered grimly. "The leader is ruthless and personally I think he's insane. I've never seen him before, but I've heard that he wants Spargus as his own and he'll take it from Damas even if he has to kill every last one of its inhabitants."

"That sounds lovely," Merlander said. He sat back down in his seat and said, "I guess everywhere I go a war is breaking out." He grew silent while staring at all of Spargus. Would he just mess things up here too? He gave another sigh while accepting his fate. He nodded to Sig while saying emotionlessly, "Let's go."

* * *

"Oh! I want to help, guys! Let me help! Please!" Flash said in a rush of words while zipping around the hot and steamy kitchen. Blue sparks covered the kitchen floor where the boy had gone. He kept popping up in front of Meg or Daxter begging to help them somehow.

"Calm down, kid!" Daxter yelled at him while putting on the brakes so he wouldn't slam into Flash once again. The animal held up a bowl of salad over his head to dodge the hands of Rose who was hungry as ever for her dinner. "Salad's not for you!" Daxter hissed at her.

"Gentle, Daxter," Meg said calmly down to him. "Babies don't like it when you yell in their faces."

Just to prove her point, Rose kicked Daxter in the legs and made him do a face plant on the floor. The salad bowl flew into the air and Flash was right there to catch it. Meg set her soup pot on the table and smiled down at Flash when he offered the bowl to her. "Why, thank you, Flash," she said sweetly.

Daxter got up quickly while glaring at Rose. He glanced over to Roxie who was sulking on the couch in the small living room beside the kitchen. She had wanted to go and see Merlander's trial that day, but her parents had forbidden her to do so along with all the others living in the house. So she was sitting on the couch with a sour look on her face and refused to speak to anyone or pay any attention to them. Daxter was beginning to get sick and tiered of her attitude and was close the point of telling her off.

The front door opened and Vox came in quickly. He threw his back pack on the floor next to the door and smiled slightly as he sniffed the air. His wonderful wife was making something good for him. He was so thankful to have her.

"Just in time for dinner, honey," Meg said to her husband. They both smiled at each other and pure love. Sometimes Bo or Daxter would laugh at how much they still flirted with each other. It was rare to see people still loving each other these days in Haven City.

Suddenly Bo flew through the door with a wild look in her eyes. She was soaked to the core and water dripped to the floor of the house as she placed her basket of fruit on the counter. Roxie glared at her because the Human was late and she knew all too well where Bo was all this time. She watched as Bo flung her cloak off her body.

Bo walked past Roxie and whispered down to her quickly, "I want to see you after dinner in your room with Daxter." Roxie perked up right away and smiled. Maybe Merlander had said something to Bo as a note to her. She wanted dinner to be done right away.

The family sat down at the table and dug right into the marvelous food they had created. Roxie was eating the fastest because of what Bo had said to her. She really wanted to know what Merlander said. Daxter looked up from his blue apple and saw the girl pretty much acting like a vacuum cleaner and garbage disposal at the same time. And he thought that he sometimes ate like a pig! This girl was a living nightmare in this mode.

Her parents thought the same thing and Vox was the first to say something to her because Meg was too busy feeding Rose. "Maybe you would like to slow down," he said to her. She didn't seem to hear him and kept going at a speed faster than Flash. "Roxie!" he shouted at his daughter, but she kept ignoring him on purpose.

"This is how you do it, Roxie's dad," Daxter said while hopping onto the wooden table. He smiled slyly while picking up the salt shaker and unscrewing the top. Everyone watched in silence as the animal pored the whole thing in Roxie's soup when she was taking a quick drink. "That will calm her down."

Roxie gulped down a few spoonfuls of pure salt before her taste buds and brain told her to stop. She stopped suddenly with her mouth full of the stuff then spat it all out into Daxter's face by mistake. She started to scream while trying to get all the salt out with a napkin.

"Beautiful," Daxter muttered sarcastically as he wiped the salt mixed with spit off his face. Rose giggled loudly while Flash tried to hold back a laugh. Bo smiled smugly at the animal then continued to eat.

"Sorry, Dax," Roxie said. "But why did you put salt in my soup? I'm going to have to beat you up for that!" She stood up out of her seat while forming her hands into fists. Daxter looked like he had wetted his fur as he backed up on the table because the crazy girl was serious. Yes, she was one hundred percent insane in his eyes.

"Calm down, Roxie," Meg said calmly to her daughter. "Sit down please, sweet heart. Plus, your father and I need to tell you something."

"Fine," Roxie said while sitting and glaring at Daxter. The animal sat down in his own seat silently and looking a bit nervous. Roxie glanced over to her mom and saw her smiling at her father again. They had been doing that a lot lately and it was kind of annoying her. It was like they held some kind of secret.

"Well," Meg said slowly. "I don't know how to tell you this, Roxie, but…"

"But your mother is going to have a baby," Vox said for his wife quickly to get it all out.

Silence.

"A baby?" Roxie asked with a very confused expression on her face.

"Yeah," Daxter said to her. "You know. Those small, cute, and soft Elf looking things that only know how to scream at the top of their lungs, crap, and throw up in your face. It would look like something like Rose, here," he said while pointing to the baby who giggled and tried to grab his fuzzy finger. He smiled sheepishly when he saw the cold glare of Vox bore down on him.

"Yew. Why would we want that?" Roxie said with a joking smile. Her parents were about to say something, but she quickly jumped up from her seat and hugged her mom and said, "I was kidding, mommy! I think it is wonderful!"

"Maybe you'll get lucky and get a baby not as crazy as this one," Daxter said with a smile and nodding his head over to Roxie. Bo tried to hold back a wide grin behind her hand at the comment. Roxie glared at him and didn't even get to open her mouth to shout a threat to him because her dad got there first.

"One more sound out of you and you're sleeping on the streets of the Slums tonight!" Vox yelled at Daxter. The animal nodded and quickly went back to eating. He did manage to give little Flash a wicked smile to put a smile on his face.

* * *

"This is too easy," Roxie said into her microphone that was connected to Bo's earpiece. She was walking straight through the great hall of the Baron's Palace like it was nothing. Daxter was standing on her shoulder with a nervous look on his face. His ears were alert and sharp for any kind of sound.

Suddenly Daxter grabbed the microphone that was connected to Roxie's earpiece and asked, "Are you sure that Merlander's note was right about this?" He gave Roxie a guilty smile as she glared daggers at him.

"He set up this escape plan for the whole time he was with the Baron," came Bo's voice from the earpiece. "I always wondered how he was able to go from the Palace to the Prison so quickly. That secret passageway is planned to be blocked off next week because some Krimson Guards have found it by mistake and are using it. He doesn't trust much people, so that is why it's going down."

"Fine," Roxie muttered as she took a hallway that would lead her to the passageway Merlander had talked about in the note he had given Bo before he had been taken away. It was all about an escape plan he had created to rescue Jak. Daxter had been a bit surprised that Merlander had still remembered their deal. He really didn't have to do this for him, but Daxter was still very thankful for the Elf's graciousness.

Roxie stopped in the middle of the hallway where a red tapestry was hanging. She threw the thing over her head and saw that a wooden door was placed right behind the hanging rug. "That's not noticeable," Daxter muttered sarcastically as Roxie gave a chuckle. They quickly opened it and rushed into the dark room.

"This place looks like it will collapse at anytime," Roxie said while putting a hand into the air and making a green eco ball in it to show her the way. She only heard static from the other end of her earpiece. "Bo, can you hear me?" she asked the Human. No answer.

"You can't talk to her in this kind of tunnel," Daxter said. "Just keep moving. Anyone could come through this place at any time. We have to hurry."

Roxie nodded grimly back to her fuzzy friend. She started to jog down the dark tunnel that kept sloping down. The two stayed quiet the whole time and left the other to their own thoughts. Daxter was jumpy and excited. He hadn't seen Jak in two whole years! He wondered if Jak had changed at all, because he knew that he sure did. He wondered how Jak looked like and wondered about other small details that didn't matter at all that kept popping into his head.

What was he going to say first?

* * *

The torture was finally done. The heat in the living hell he was in had subsided for a while. Jak relaxed his head against the chair he was strapped to as he pleaded for the darkness of unconsciousness to take him away from the world for just a little while. He caught fragments of the argument the Baron and Erol was in and just let them go. It meant nothing to him right then.

"I'll be back for you later," suddenly Erol whispered into Jak's ear, and then he was alone. Jak closed his eyes as his whole body was in agony. He wasn't going to pass out anytime soon, so he was going to be stuck in this stupid chair for hours till Erol came back to maybe kill him or put him back in his cell. Jak had a sick feeling that the first of the two was the right one.

Sparks of dark eco flashed around the teen's body still as he tried to block out the pain. It was said that he should be dead with the amount of dark eco that had been pumped in him for the past few months. He had been a lab rat for the Baron's project that was failing. Jak hated this life with a passion. It was even worse than the fort! He was stuck in a cold prison cell for hours and had dark eco pumped in him for 15 minutes of hell three times a day. Freedom and courage could never be on the mind of a frightened teen who was almost petrified of his next dark eco ejection.

And this was all because of the Baron! He had hated the man from the start. And that vow was still on the Elf's mind as he laid there on the torture chair. The anger in the teen was swelling up inside of him and he could hardly keep control over it. But through the seeming impenetrable darkness and depression that surrounded Jak's mind at all times there came a spark of light and hope, a best friend's voice.

"Ding! Third floor!" Daxter's voice came into Jak's ears. It made the Elf smile just to hear him talk again. Was it real or just his mind making it up again? "Chains, cockroach food, torture devices!" Suddenly Jak felt the animal jump onto his stomach and ask in his face, "Hey, buddy, seen any heroes around here?"

_Daxter?_ Jak thought while opening his eyes to see the fuzzy orange creature with a goofy smile on his face. Before Jak could rejoice for the return of his long lost friend, something in him totally snapped. Daxter was rambling on about how he risked his tail by looking for him for two years. Was it really that long?

Another side that Jak didn't know that he had was unleashed. He tried to hold back the dark side in him, but it was no use. It only bubbled on the surface, but that was all it needed to get Jak's main thought out of his mind and into words. It was at this time that Jak's voice box suddenly kicked into action and he was able to form his first sentence in his whole life.

"I'm going to kill Baron Praxis!"

The End…or maybe it's The Beginning.

To Be Continued.

A/N: Sequel will be coming soon. I'll tell you readers that it's a sequel in the summery, so look for me! And I'm finished here! Over and out! Please give a last review! You guys have been great!


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